Secret Rendezvous
by Lady-Winter-Belle
Summary: "Emily i am your teacher and you are my student. We can never be anything more than that. You do understand that, right?" "Alison, we both know we are more than that." A new house, a new job, a new town, a new fiancé, a new life. One thing Alison didn't realize she would have was a new problem - falling in love with a student.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been planning on writing this story for a while so i hope you all enjoy it. I've not actually seen anyone write a fan fiction like this (sorry if you have) and i have some really good story line ideas for the future.**

The clicking noise of heels across the wooden flooring echoed around the silent house. The lack of furniture amplified the sound, causing the blonde to slow her pace. She finally sat down on the couch in the living room with her chamomile tea when the chic wall clock chimed 7.00am. She clicked on the TV with the remote; luckily it was one of the first things they had decided to unpack in their new home as everything else still sat within the possibly hundreds of boxes dotted around the house.

She took a sip of her tea, grimacing at the awful taste. She never liked tea but she vowed to herself that this move would see a fresh beginning – a healthier one. She had put herself on a caffeine ban and being up this early in the morning without caffeine was definitely going to takes its toll later in the day.

"Alison, what are you doing up and dressed at this time?" A sleepy voice called from the door frame, the light of the TV causing him to squint in focus at the blonde.

"I couldn't sleep."

"We've been over this Ali. Moving here was the best thing for us. A fresh start without all the crap." The black haired man moved into the room, sitting himself down next to the restless blonde.

"Without all the crap? That crap being your family not approving of you being engaged to a college student you had met 3 months ago."

"You're not a student anymore Ali and I love you. I knew you were the one when I first laid my eyes on you."

"Yeah," She whispered, fiddling with the very large diamond ring sitting on her left finger. The man sighed, choosing to ignore the lack of certainty in the blonde's voice by putting it down to nerves.

"You'll be a great teacher Ali. And once we get settled in and unpacked we can start wedding planning," He smiled, hoping the mention of what would be the best day of the blonde's life would cheer her up but he got nothing but a half smile and a slight nod.

To be honest, the reality of the last few months were starting to dawn on her. Moving across the country from the relaxed student lifestyle in LA to this small, suburban town and being engaged to a man 5 years older than her at 23. However, she knew there was nothing she could do so she just went along with it. Although she knew she wasn't completely happy, she knew that teaching is what she loved so she vowed to put everything into it.

After spending over an hour pottering around the house, unpacking little bits and pieces, she was stood in the mirror checking her outfit for the last time. She was wearing a dark purple floral top tucked into a black skater skirt and she paired it with a black blazer and black heels. She wanted to look formal yet friendly, fun and young. She definitely didn't want to be one of those teachers who looked like they stepped out of a time machine from the 1800s.

"Good luck babe, you'll be brilliant."

"Thanks Elliot," She smiled as he bent down to place a quick kiss on her lips whilst tucking his shirt into his trousers.

"See you tonight, love you!" He shouted as she walked out of the front door. She let out a long breath she didn't know she was holding as she strutted across the driveway to the garage. She hopped into her BMW series 4 convertible before backing her way out of the driveway. She loved her car, she really did, but it was an engagement present from Elliot and she couldn't help but cringe at how materialistic he was. Alison was definitely the type of woman to like the finer things in life but it was like Elliot _needed_ her to be that way. Alison knew that with a walk-in wardrobe soon to be filled with designer brands that she was being extremely selfish.

As she drove down the roads of Rosewood she couldn't help but catch a glimpse of the ring on her finger – the icing on the cake to her very materialistic and very fake lifestyle. As she pulled up at a stop sign she quickly slipped the ring off of her finger and into the glove compartment. It wasn't that she was ashamed to be engaged to Elliot, because she wasn't, she just didn't like the strings that were attached to it.

When she pulled up at the school she cursed herself for being late as students were already stood around, catching up with their friends after the summer vacation. As she stepped out of her car, the late summer breeze blowing her luscious curls behind her, she smiled as she spotted several students' jaws literally hit the floor as they stopped and gawped at her. She smiled sweetly and bowed her head slightly in embarrassment. Alison was definitely one of those people who knew they were pretty but having at least 50 students stop and stare at you was a little intimidating.

"Woah," She called as she stepped into a crowded corridor, a student had ran straight into and knocked all of her folders flying out of her hands.

"Sorry!" The boy called, not stopping to help her as he continued to hurry down the hallway.

"Great start to this new beginning," She mumbled sarcastically to herself under her breath whilst gathering her belongings in to her arms before she continued the hunt for her new classroom.

"Excuse me!" A voice shouted from behind her. She pivoted around on her heel to be greeted by a shy brunette. Alison waited for her to speak but she was just staring at her as if she wasn't real. "I…erm…you dropped this," She said, holding her arm out with Great Expectations in her hand.

"Oh, thank you. At least I know someone around here has manners," Alison smiled sweetly at the shy brunette who bowed her head in embarrassment like she did when she got out of her car.

"I think it's the first day of senior year nerves." The brunette gave a tight lipped smile and did Alison think it was kind of _cute?_

"I guess so, thanks for this," Alison held up the book in her hand as she smiled and continued to make her way down the corridor.

"Who's that?" A blonde haired girl called from beside the brunette.

"I don't know Han," The brunette still had her gaze locked on the figure moving further and further away from her.

"Her hair is to _die_ for and her shoes, oh my God the shoes," Hanna said, titling her head back dramatically.

"I wasn't look at her shoes," The brunette chuckled quietly, regaining some of the confidence she had previously lost.

"Emily!" Hanna screeched beside her, playfully shoving her. "But to be fair she is hot."

"Hey I saw her first."

"Don't let your girlfriend hear you say that," Hanna said, gazing over the brunette's shoulder at someone patiently waiting for her. Emily turned around and smiled at her girlfriend.

"Hey," She greeted quietly, kissing her girlfriend gently on the cheek.

"Hey? I haven't seen you for the last 3 weeks of vacation and all you can say is hey?"

"Paige, I was visiting my dad in Texas. I'm sorry if that was such an inconvenience."

Hanna and another two of Emily's friends were stood by the lockers watching the scene unfold carefully in front of them.

"It wasn't. It would just have been nice to know that I wouldn't see my girlfriend for nearly a whole month. A whole month which was also our 6 month anniversary."

Emily sighed, she knew this conversation was going to come but she just couldn't be bothered with it. The bell rang but the brunette's girlfriend was stood firmly waiting for a response.

"6 months isn't that big of a deal Paige. I told you I would make it up to you when I got back."

"Not a big deal? Are you kidding me, Emily?"

"Look, I'm going to be late. We'll talk later," Emily said, making her way past Paige and down the corridor to English; Hanna and their two friends already gone from their spot at the lockers. She quickly reached the door, bursting through but stopped dead in her tracks. Everyone was already seated and they all turned to look at her as she burst into the classroom.

"Good morning." Emily averted her eyes to the teacher sitting on the desk at the front of the class and she nearly melted to the floor. The same golden hair, the same blue eyes and the same beautiful smile that she spoke to not 15 minutes ago. The blonde was raising her eyebrow, waiting for a response.

"Sorry I'm late," Emily mumbled, lowering her head and hurrying to the seat beside Hanna as she felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. As she sat down and got her folders out, she noticed that the class was still silent. She looked up to find her teacher still looking at her and when she caught her eye, the teacher awkwardly cleared her throat before drawing her attention back to the rest of the class.

"As I was saying, I'm Miss DiLaurentis and I will be your English teacher this year. I understand that this is a stressful year for you all and I don't intent to make that any more stressful. As long as you get on with your work and you cooperate, I'll try to be as relaxed as I can when it comes to homework. For the analysis of the books that we will do, I like to do a lot of group work and so the piece of paper you all have in front of you has someone's name on it. That person is going to be your 'analysis buddy'. You'll be working together a lot this year but first, I want to get to know you all a little better. So, we'll go around the class, I want you to tell me your name and what you like to do outside of the classroom."

Everyone took it in turns, going around and saying their names. She didn't know why but Emily was feeling nervous and as more and more people introduced themselves, her palms began building up with sweat as she absentmindedly wiped them on her knees.

"I'm Noel Khan and outside of the classroom I like to do any girl that wants me," He smirked, earning himself a roar of laughter from the class.

"Thank you Noel, anything else you like to do? Maybe something that doesn't have a heartbeat?" Alison laughed, earning herself more laughter, including a laugh from Noel.

"I suppose I like to keep myself fit too," He smirked again.

"Okay, next please," Alison smiled, moving on to the blonde girl sat in the seat to the left of Noel.

"I'm Hanna and I like shopping and clothes and shoes and – "

"And me," Noel playfully added. Hanna reached over and thumped him on the arm.

"Okay Mr Khan, anymore and the only thing you will be doing is a lunchtime detention."

"If it's with you I'm not complaining," He smirked. Alison laughed as she shook her head. He really did like getting a reaction from people.

"Sorry you got interrupted Hanna, it sounds like we have a lot in common." Alison turned to the person sat next to Hanna and smiled at the brunette.

"Erm, I'm Emily and I like swimming," She said.

"And girls," Noel said under his breath although the whole class heard. Alison noticed how she looked down at her hands, she was clearly uncomfortable and for some reason Alison was suddenly furious at the immature boy at the back of the class.

"Okay Noel that was too far. No one in this classroom is going to feel victimised for who they are attracted to. Love is love and if you don't agree with that ideology then you may as well walk out of this classroom now. If you love girls, that's fine. If you love boys, that's also fine. But do you know what isn't fine Mr Khan? People who love themselves."

"Sorry Emily," He mumbled, all of a sudden brought to a silence. Alison looked over at Emily to see her smile gratefully. She returned the smile before carrying on getting to know everyone.

"Okay, I want everyone sat next to their analysis buddy next lesson please," Alison called as she sat at her desk when everyone starting dashing for the classroom door.

"Miss DiLaurentis?" The voice caused Alison to lift her head from the lesson plan she was making as the brunette made her way through the crowd of students to her desk.

"Yes?"

"Erm, I didn't get a partner." The brunette awkwardly adjusted her bag on her shoulder before pushing her hair behind her ear.

"Ah, was that because you were late?" The blonde's voice was playful. Emily just nodded, avoiding eye contact with her. "The first day of senior year nerves?" The blonde smiled gracefully when she finally got a laugh out of the brunette.

"No I just got side tracked. Sorry."

"Don't worry, I can tell you aren't the type of person to make a habit of it."

"I'm not. So erm, who is going to be my partner?"

"Whoever you like, you can choose," She smiled. Alison knew she could have chosen Emily to go with anyone but she had an urge to make her happy – make her smile.

"Thanks," She smiled, turning her attention to the door where she saw Paige stood impatiently waiting for her. "I best go."

"See you tomorrow Emily," The blonde smiled as she watched her walk out of the classroom. There was something different about her, Alison just couldn't put her finger on it.

 **A/N: This was kind of just a chapter to set the scene and get to know the backgrounds a little bit. Should i continue? Let me know what you think of it :)**


	2. Chapter 2

a/n: wow thanks for such an amazing response to this story!

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Emily rolled her eyes as she got her chemistry book out of her locker; she could feel the eyes of her girlfriend watching her from the other side of the corridor. Today of all days she could not be doing with all the petty fighting the pair seemed to be doing lately.

"Paige I can feel you staring at me, just say what you have to say."

"Why didn't you call me last night?"

"I was busy doing homework and getting prepared for today." Emily closed her locker and turned around to face Paige. She could see Hanna, Spencer and Aria out of the corner of her eye raising their eyebrows at the scene.

"Homework? Emily it is the second day back," Paige was clearly getting frustrated at the lack of attention from the brunette.

"I need to go, see you in the locker room." Emily quickly made an exit towards her friends before Paige could even open her mouth.

Emily puffed out her cheeks as she made her way over. "You okay Em?" Hanna asked, an amused tone seeping out of her 'pretend concerned' voice.

"She's probably just stressed because she knows you're going to win the trails and be the Captain."

"Don't jinx it Spence," She groaned, the pressure to get captain was definitely getting to her but she _needed_ this if she wanted to stand any chances of winning a scholarship.

"Fields, coach needs to see you," A boy called from the other end of the corridor.

"I have to go guys, see you in English Han, I'll only be 5 minutes," Emily called as she began to hurry towards the locker room. As Emily approached, Coach Murphy was already talking to someone in her office so she patiently waited outside. She cursed herself when she checked the time on her phone, English started in 6 minutes and she couldn't be late again.

"Ah Emily, thank you for coming," The coach eventually said as she let the student out of her office before welcoming Emily in. She smiled sweetly, stepping inside and awkwardly standing close to the door.

"I won't keep you long because I know you have a lesson to get to but I just want to say that I don't want your relationship with Paige to get in the way of you winning these trials. I know it can be difficult, you two being each other's competition but I see great potential in you and I'm sure the scouts will too."

"Thank you coach, I'll try not to let it get in the way." Emily had heard the same thing over and over again. From her mom, her dad, Hanna, Spencer, Aria, even _Noel._ Everyone wanted the school's star swimmer to go far and Emily knew that being with Paige could jeopardize that – especially recently with all the fighting they seemed to be doing.

"Good to hear, this is your future after all," The coach smiled, she was about to engage in more conversation but the bell rang.

"I best go," Emily said, turning so she could make her way out of the office. The locker room was literally the other end of the school to her English classroom and Emily knew she was going to be late. When she reached the English corridor, she slowed her pace to regain some of the breath she lost marching to the classroom. The corridor was empty so Emily knew everyone was already inside.

"I thought you weren't one to make a habit of being late. I may have to re-evaluate that decision," A voice called out from behind the brunette. She froze to the spot, pivoting round as her heart starting thumping in her chest again. Her eyes met the blonde teacher strutting down the corridor towards her, the light from the early morning sun making her eyes glisten like a tropical sea. She wore a playful smirk and Emily couldn't help but give a tight lipped smile in return. There was something about her new teacher that caused all of her confidence to literally disappear.

"I was just speaking to coach, the swim trials for the team Captain are today."

"Ah, and Rosewood High's star swimmer has a reputation to maintain?" The blonde had now caught up with her but made no effort to enter the classroom.

"I guess," Emily adjusted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, the blonde noticed that she must do this when she is nervous or shy.

"Well I'll make a deal with you. You get Captain and I won't give you detention for being late?" The blonde smiled, finally edging her way towards the classroom door. The brunette nodded, looking at the floor and refusing to make eye contact with the blonde. "After you," She smiled, causing Emily to finally look up to meet her eyes but they darted away just as quick. Emily couldn't let herself look into her eyes because she _knows_ she will get lost in them.

"Good morning everyone, hope you all had an easy first day back yesterday," The blonde smiled as she set all of her belongings down on her desk. "Today's lesson and Friday's are going to be a bit different. You are going to be doing some background research on Charles Dickens because a large part of this semester will be based around his work. So, you are your analysis buddy are free to work in here or the library and create a presentation on him. I won't be in on Friday as I have a training course so I would like you to just get on with your work."

Emily couldn't help but feel disappointed that it would now be over a week until she was going to see her again. Her, Hanna and their analysis buddy Kaya decided to stay in the classroom along with a few others.

"So, are you coming to watch me in the swim trials?" Noel asked, causing Alison to lift her head from the huge pile of books she had open on her desk.

"I might pop along, but if I do it will be to see Rosewood's star swimmer," She smiled, her eyes meeting Emily's as the brunette once again looked down at her hands. Alison tried to say something that would maybe boost her confidence but the brunette seemed to just crumble every time they made eye contact.

"We all know Em's gonna smash it. She going to the Olympics one day," Noel said and to be honest it completely shocked the blonde after their ordeal in their previous lesson when he made a snide remark about her sexuality. Alison wondered if maybe that would give her the confidence to actually talk but she got nothing. It confused Alison to say the least.

"So I've heard. And what about you, Mr I am the captain of every sports club in the school?"

"I wouldn't mind playing football but I think I'm just too good," He smirked, causing the blonde to shake her head.

"You really are full of yourself, you can so tell you're a womanizer," The blonde laughed. Emily twitched as she nearly melted into the chair. Her laugh was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

"Nah Emily is the real womanizer. Everyone wants a piece of you don't they Em?" Alison's eyes widened in surprise as they landed on the brunette who was quite literally trying to bury her face into the book she was reading. "Come on Em, don't be shy now. You're probably a more popular jock than me."

"She's more popular than you with the ladies too," Hanna butted in. "Especially blondes." Although Hanna was referencing Noel's failed attempts at trying to hook up with her, both Alison and Emily interpreted it a whole different way. Emily felt her face glowing bright red as she refused to look up from her book. She could feel Alison's eyes on her and she has never been so glad to hear the bell ring.

"Okay you lot, see you next week." As Emily gathered her things and was following Hanna out of the classroom, a hand grabbed her arm gently. She turned to meet blue eyes but in the surprise of the gesture she didn't break the gaze. "Good luck, don't forget that detention for being late if you don't win," The blonde smiled, instantly removing her hand from Emily's arm as the brunette swallowed and nodded.

"Thank you," She smiled, turning back towards the classroom door. Alison knew she had a class at the time of the swim trails but by the sound of it everyone either was or wanted to go and she wanted to go too – _really_ wanted to go. Cancelling the class wouldn't do any harm right?

Emily made her way into the locker room, quickly getting changed into her swimming costume and putting her tracksuit on over the top. She knew she needed to get herself in focus before everyone else started to fill into the locker room. She put her earphones in and began listening to The Killers; it wasn't her usual music taste but the rhythm sent her adrenaline pumping.

"Hey," A voice called as she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Huh?" Emily removed her earphones as she turned around, unhappy that her 'focus time' was being interrupted by someone.

"Can we talk?"

"Can it wait?"

"No Emily, we need to sort this out before the trails."

"Fine," Emily huffed as she paused her music and let the intruder sit next to her on the bench.

"I want to apologize for my behavior. I know you have been busy these past few weeks and I have been selfish with wanting to see you all the time."

"No you haven't. I should have made time for you." The brunette turned to her girlfriend, who for the first time was not speaking to her like a disobeying child.

"So we're okay?"

"Sure." Before Emily could even register what was going on, Paige lunged forward and crashed their lips together. It wasn't until she pulled away and saw the stunned look on the brunette's face that she apologized.

"Sorry, it's been a while."

"Don't worry, I best get back to focusing," The brunette smiled, gathering her earphones as all the other swimmers made their way into the locker room.

Emily made her way out and into the pool area as students and teachers were already starting to fill the bleachers. There was no doubt that she was one of the most popular swimmers at the school so it was no surprise that several students started to cheer as she came out of the changing rooms. Hanna and Aria began chanting her name and soon everyone else joined in. Emily just laughed, walking over to where Hanna, Aria and Spencer were sat on the front row.

However, one thing Emily didn't realize was there was another blonde watching her too. Alison made her way into the bleachers with a few other teachers just as Emily made her way out of the changing rooms. The brunette looked confident, laughing as everyone chanted her name and it confused the blonde to say the least. This definitely wasn't the Emily that was sat in her classroom not 1 hour ago. Alison sat two rows from the back, secretly observing the brunette. She couldn't help but smile at the way Emily's head tilted back as she laughed and the way she smiled. Her smile would show her perfectly white teeth but whenever she has smiled at the blonde, it would be a tight lipped smile.

It wasn't until almost an hour later, when it was finally Emily's turn to swim, that she noticed the blonde. She was taking her position when she looked at the crowd, her gaze met the blonde's and Alison could see her quickly look away and re-position herself.

Of course Emily won, winning the position of team captain and achieving her personal best time. As soon as she stepped out of the pool, everyone flooded around her to congratulate her. It wasn't until she finally made her way out of the locker room that she saw the blonde again.

"Congratulations, I guess you won't be getting detention after all," Alison smiled, hoping to see a little hint of confidence in the Brunette. And there it was – the brunette smiled as she chuckled gently, her perfect white teeth on display as her smile caused the corners of her eyes to crinkle slightly.

"I wouldn't have minded a detention actually, it's not like it would have been the worst thing in the world."

"Why's that?" The blonde called as Emily began to walk away.

"It would have been with you," She said, turning around before heading off in the direction of the cafeteria to meet her friends.

Alison was stood practically gawping at the Brunette. Her sudden burst of confidence had caught Alison off guard but she liked it. She liked cheeky Emily a lot more than shy Emily. Although both were pretty cute.

' _You shouldn't think she's cute at all'_ She thought to herself as she made her way back to her classroom once regaining the mobility of her dropped jaw.

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a/n: Do you prefer shy Emily or confident Emily? Next chapter you might see a little bit of drunk Emily ;) Let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Thank you so much for over 50 reviews! p.s sorry for any mistakes!

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The faint sound of Beyoncé's 'Drunk In Love' could be heard disturbing the early morning silence as it escaped her earphones as Emily ran along the edge of the lake. It was only 6.30am but almost like clockwork Emily would get up at 6.00am to go on her morning jog to the lake where she would do a circuit of sit ups, push ups, a plank and any other form of exercise she could think of.

This morning, however, was a little different as she decided to jog all the way around the lake and then jog back through Rosewood to her house. She was jogging along a sidewalk in a fairly unfamiliar part of town to her when she was brought to an abrupt stop by a matte black Range Rover honking their horn at her.

"What?" She called, turning around to find the fairly angry driver winding down the window.

"I said watch where you are going, I nearly ran you over." He was a smart looking guy, his black hair brushed off of his pale complexion.

"Sorry sir," Emily spoke as the man smiled before heading off. She took the time to look up at the house he pulled out of. It must be newly built and it was _huge._ She was just about to place her earphones back in when she heard a voice softly calling a name from behind the gates. Her head instantly whipped around to the source because she knew that voice anywhere.

"Pepe, here boy!" The voice called again and Emily followed the idyllic sound to the entrance of the house where she met the source.

Of course it was non-other than the blonde goddess that had been on her mind all week. She was leaning against the door and from where Emily was stood she looked like she had just woke up. Her hair was on the top of her head in a messy bun, her face was clean and pure of make-up but there was something _different_ about her. Emily's eyes trailed down her body until her mind connected the dots; she observed that bare foot without her heels, the blonde looked so small - vulnerable, in fact.

Emily stood, watching as the dog bounded across the perfectly mowed lawn towards the blonde as she turned to re-enter the house. Just as she was about to close the door, she turned back slightly and smiled in Emily's direction. _'Crap she saw me'_ she thought, quickly scurrying off whilst placing her earphones in.

As she bounded along the side walk, she fought the butterflies turning the inside of her stomach into a tsunami as she focused her attention on the man pulling out the drive way. It was quite clear that he was Miss DiLaurentis' partner. All at once those butterflies, as if literal, flew away as a tinge of jealousy creeped into their place.

It didn't take long for Emily to get home as every step she took the faster she ran. When she finally did reach her porch, she practically collapsed through the front door. She bent over, hands on her knees, as she tried to regain her breath.

"Emily, are you okay?" Her mom was beside her, tugging the earphones out of her ears so she could hear.

"Yeah…I'm… I'm fine…" Her whole body was rising and falling with every breath she took.

"I made you some fresh lemon water, it's in the refrigerator."

"Thanks mom. I need to shower first though," she smiled, gripping the banister as she pulled herself up the stairs.

She had no idea where this irrational jealousy came from because she had no right or reason to be jealous. She hasn't even known the blonde a week and she is her _teacher._ When she finally emerged from her shower, she just sat in her towel contemplating whether or not to turn up to school. It's bad enough that she won't have the blonde for English but right now she cannot deal with human interaction.

E: Hey Han, I'm not feeling to good today so I think I'm going to give school a miss. X

She knew it was a lame excuse but having an excuse is better than just not turning up right?

H: I don't think so! You get your butt to school Emily. You are not leaving me in English with Kaya!

E: Han I really don't feel good. You'll be fine x

H: Get your lazy ass ready for school or I'll get Spencer on your case.

E: Seriously? You are not threatening me with Spencer

H: Watch me.

S: Emily, I'm coming for you in 10 minutes if you are not on the porch all hell will break loose. – Spencer

Emily rolled her eyes, throwing her cell phone onto the bed as she plodded over to her wardrobe. It was stupid, but with the blonde not being there Emily didn't feel the need to make an effort. She simply put her hair in a ponytail, applied minimal make and threw on a sharks hoody, skinny jeans and her converse.

Of course, as soon as she stepped out onto the porch Spencer was parked in her driveway impatiently drumming her fingers on the steering wheel.

"Took your time."

"You're lucky I took any time at all," she huffed, sliding into the passenger seat.

"And is there any reason for this rash behavior this morning?"

"I just don't feel good, is that not reasoning enough?"

"Not when we are in our senior year hoping to get a college place."

"It's one day, Spence."

"You need to be in school today it's the Sport Society bonfire tonight."

"I forgot about that," Emily groaned. Rosewood High throw a Sport Society bonfire at the beginning of every school year to celebrate the newly voted team captains and the start of the season.

"You can't not turn up to that considering you're the swim captain."

"I know Spence, I am going jeez I never said I wasn't!" Emily snapped, turning to look out the window.

"Jeez Em, what is wrong with you today? Are you and Paige in a fight or something?"

"We are always in a fight these days," she mumbled, hoping the smarter brunette didn't hear.

Luckily for Emily, the rest of the journey to school was pretty quiet. As soon as they pulled up in the parking lot and began walking into the school, Emily felt swallowed up by the feeling of being trapped in this place for the next 6 hours.

She walked down the familiar halls towards her locker, mentally cursing at the ludicrous scenes occurring around her. Any other day she would have laughed but not today – today Emily Fields was in no mood for immature students in the grades below.

"The big bad wolf finally dragged your sorry ass to school then," Hanna called, walking up behind Emily and playfully giving her a dead leg.

"Seriously Han I am not in the mood today."

"Lighten up Em, it's the bonfire tonight! An excuse to party!"

"Considering it's on school grounds, I would assume your version of partying would be prohibited Han," Spencer called as she made her way up beside them, closely followed by Aria.

"Hey babe." Paige called as she made her way up behind them. Emily rolled her eyes which caused Hanna to snicker.

"The ONE day I'm not in the mood you all decide to hound me."

"That's no way to say hello to your girlfriend Em," Paige called, trying to squeeze her way into their little huddle and failing miserably.

"We'll leave you to it. See you at lunch Em." Spencer grabbed both Hanna and Aria by the arm and dragged them away from the scene towards their first lesson.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, okay. I wish people would stop asking me that." Emily snapped, slamming her locker shut as she tried to walk away but Paige grabbed her arm.

"Woah, hey, it's okay. If you don't want to tell me that's cool I'm just worried about you."

"I know, sorry," she sighed.

"I'll let you get to lesson but I'll see you during our break after 2nd period. I'll meet you in the canteen," she smiled, quickly placing a kiss on her lips before letting go of her arm.

Second period for Emily was English, and she found herself with Hanna and Kaya in their empty English classroom. As Hanna and Kaya worked away finding information on Charles Dickens for their presentation, Emily found herself staring at the desk at the front of the classroom. She pictured Miss DiLaurentis sat there, her concentration face on as she struggled to read someone's hand writing. Her smile when she looks up when a student asks her a question, her eyes when they meet hers.

"Emily?" Hanna called, nudging her shoulder gently.

"Huh?"

"Where you not listening to a word of that?"

"Urm…"

"Urgh you are so useless! I asked if you could do some research on where Dickens grew up?"

"Yeah sure." Emily made no effort to move from her spot.

"Today would be nice."

"I'll do it tomorrow Han."

"It's Saturday tomorrow."

"And?"

"Even Spencer doesn't do work on a Saturday!" She exasperated.

"Well I will, just let me sit in peace."

"Fine," the blonde huffed, dramatically slamming Emily's open book closed. She stood up and went to place it back on the bookshelf at the front of the classroom. With Hanna being Hanna, she decided to go and sit at the teacher's desk and began rummaging through the drawers.

"Hanna stop! What if someone walks in?" Suddenly hit with a burst of Energy, Emily leapt from her desk and over to the blonde to drag her away.

"Ooo, who's this handsome man with Miss D?" Hanna smirked, pulling out a Polaroid photo from the desk. Suddenly curious, Emily stepped closer to get a look at the picture. The picture showed Miss DiLaurentis and a black haired man standing on a beach with Santa Monica pier in the background. Emily was too caught up in the fact that the man was the exact same man she saw earlier that morning on her run that she didn't notice one tiny, important detail in the picture – the ring on her teacher's finger. "He is definitely hot, good one Miss D," Hanna giggled as she placed the photo back in the drawer.

Thankfully for Emily, the bell rang just in time to break her free from this nightmare of a lesson. "Come on Han."

"Aw is poor Emily jealous that Miss D is off the market," The blonde teased.

"No I am not and can you please stop calling her Miss D like you are best friends."

"We are practically friends, she always talks to me about the latest fashion." Another sting of jealousy ripped through Emily's stomach at the statement. Why is she so jealous of Hanna talking to their teacher about fashion? She wishes she could just have a normal conversation with the blonde.

"See you later Han," Emily called as she began to make her way into the canteen.

"Erm, where are you going? We have a Paris meeting."

"Since when? Han I'm meeting Paige – "

"Not anymore you're not. Miss any more meetings Em and Miss Drake won't be letting you go." Hanna grabbed her arm and marched her up to the French classroom.

"Come in Ladies, we are just about to start," Miss Drake smiled. Miss Drake was also a young teacher. She was in her late twenties and had blonde hair, a lighter blonde to Miss DiLaurentis and it was slightly shorter. Even though Emily did Spanish, she let her on the trip because Emily happened to see her struggling to put up a display outside her classroom one day and offered to help.

Emily and Hanna grabbed a few letters from the front of the classroom explaining their itinerary for the trip before taking a seat at the back of the classroom.

"So now everyone is here we can make a quick start. Firstly, with the number of you that wanted to go unfortunately another member of staff has to go with us."

"So we won't be able to go out on a night anymore?"

"It better not be an old teacher."

"It's going to be so boring now."

"Hey, hey, shut up a minute guys! You'll be happy to know that the teacher going with us is actually younger than me."

Suddenly Emily gained interest in what the blonde teacher was saying, a tinge of hope that it would be _her_ blonde teacher made her heart flutter.

"Who is it?"

"Miss DiLaurentis. Some of you may have English class with her. She just started this week so some of you may not know her but there will be plenty of time to get to know her before we go in 3 weeks."

"Yes, omg can we go shopping?!" Hanna screeched causing the teacher to laugh.

"Yes Hanna there may be time to check out the boutiques."

"Ahhhhh!" Hanna screamed again, causing most of the girls to laugh and most of the boys groan.

"We will have another meeting this time next week so you can all meet Miss DiLaurentis but in the meantime can you all please make sure you get euros for your spending money and your passports are not expired. Thanks everyone, you can go now."

Just as they were leaving the classroom, the bell for next lesson rang. Quickly making her way to the chem lab, Emily checked her phone and was greeted by 5 missed calls and a text from Paige.

P: Emily where the hell are you?! I'm sat here alone looking like a complete idiot!

E: Sorry, forgot I had a Paris meeting. See you at lunch.

Emily walked into the classroom and sat down next to Aria.

"Hard morning?"

"Something like that," she muttered, opening her book to the page they had been working on.

Lunchtime came around fairly quickly but as the day went on Emily lost the will to be there so she took the decision to just go home and take the rest of the day off.

E: Hey Han, I'm going home to have a nap before tonight. I have a really bad headache and tonight is a big night, I can't miss it! X

When Emily arrived home, she wasn't surprised to find an empty house as her mom was at work. She dumped her bag by the door and entered the living room, collapsing onto her sofa before checking her phone just as it pings.

H: Well at least you made an effort to come in this morning so I will let you off. Hope you feel better for tonight x

Emily smiled, quickly reply with a thank you before looking around the room, boredom already taking over. Her eyes fell on the cabinet at the far side of the room – the alcohol cabinet. It was a locked cabinet but she wasn't stupid, Emily knew her parents kept the key in the empty flower vase on the shelf. She headed towards the cupboard, unlocking it with eyes as she let her eyes wonder over the contents. Whiskey, Liquor, Vodka. Emily's eyes fell on the unopened bottle of Grey Goose Vodka and she grabbed it without a second thought.

 **| 5 hours later |**

The sound of a phone ringing disrupted the settled silence that fell over the house.

"Hello?" Her voice was raspy with sleep.

"Em? Sorry if I woke you up but the bonfire starts in half an hour. Should I pick you up or meet you there?"

"Meet me there, see you soon."

"Okay, see you there. I'll text you where we are so you can find – "

Emily hung up the phone before Spencer even had chance to finish her sentence but Emily simply _didn't care anymore_. She stood up, grabbing her head with one hand and the quarter full bottle of Grey Goose with the other as she swayed into the kitchen.

She placed her phone on the kitchen worktop and she rummaged around in the cupboard trying to find her prized possession. Her eyebrows furrowed in annoyance as her phone continued to vibrate against the worktop.

"Why am I so popular?" She grumbled, slamming the cupboard door shut as she grabbed her phone. "Urgh," she groaned in annoyance at the 7 messages and 12 missed calls from Paige. "Why the fuck is she so obsessed with me?"

E: Why are you so fucking obsessed with me?

This is the reason Emily liked drinking. She could say what she wanted, and she could confront her problems without caring about the consequences. She threw her phone onto the counter, cracking the screen in the process. She continued exploring through the cupboards until she pulled out her black hip flask Hanna bought her for her birthday as a joke – the blonde didn't actually think Emily would ever use it.

She grabbed the bottle of Grey Goose, pouring the content into the flask. It's fair to say that more of it ended on the counter than in the flask but once the bottle was emptied and the hip flask was full, Emily didn't hesitate in licking the remainder off of the counter top.

She picked up her now smashed phone and her hip flask and headed into the hallway to place her new sharks captain varsity jacket on. She took a swig from her flask before placing it in her pocket and heading out the door towards Rosewood High.

She was walking down the side walk, talking to herself as she kicked along an empty beer can.

"Hey are you okay? Do you need a ride?"

Emily whipped her head around to see the same black haired man in the matte black Range Rover from this morning. Although with her drunken state she was completely oblivious to this fact.

"No, I don't get in cars with strangers. Unless they pay me," she smirked.

"Are you heading towards the bonfire at Rosewood High? I have just dropped my fiancée off I can take you if you like?"

"Why not, saves me walking."

It didn't take them long before they pulled up outside Rosewood High. There was people everywhere. Cheerleaders, football players, basketball players, gymnasts, soccer players, swimmers and general students and teachers who have come along for the party.

"It may be a good idea to drink some water before you go in there. You don't want to get chucked out."

"Oh I have my water all right," she said, holding up her hip flask before unscrewing the top. "My special water."

She hopped out of the car, the sudden fresh air mixed with the alcohol made her head feel heavy. She started to make her way around the building towards the football field were the bonfire and the loud music was. The football field was completely covered in students and strobe lights.

"Emily!" A voice called from behind her. "Emily!" The person grabbed her arm, causing her to lose her balance and fall over.

"What the fuck?!"

"Oh my God Em, I'm sorry," Paige called, grabbing Emily's arms to help her up off of the floor. As she was pulling her up, the contents of her pockets fell out onto the floor. "What is this Emily?" Paige growled.

"What the fuck are you doing? Give me it the fuck back?" Emily slurred, trying to grasp the flask from her girlfriend.

"Are you drunk?" she spat, completely disgusted at the mess she was talking to.

"So what if I am, it's easier to deal with your shit."

"My shit?"

"Yeah your shit. Keeping tabs on me and basically stalking the fuck out of me!"

"Keeping tabs on you? Emily I am trying to keep you safe from doing something stupid like this! A whole year I've had to deal with you drinking Emily and I have stood by you. Through your hang overs, through your therapy, through your sober camps."

"Boo hoo you felt sorry for me. Yeah yeah, next story. It's the same thing every fucking time. Every time it's my fault."

"Whose fault is it then?"

"Yours! If you hadn't of kept us all behind after swim practice I may have been able to save her."

"Emily you can't blame Maya's death on me!"

"She was alone when I was supposed to be there with her!"

"She had a drug overdose Emily, you might have had one too if I didn't keep you back do you ever look at it like that?"

"No I don't _look at it like that_ what do you think I am a shrink?"

"This is it Emily. I'm done with this. Don't you dare come crawling back to me once you're sober."

"I don't intend on it," she scoffed, grabbing her hip flask off Paige before taking a large gulp, sighing at the burning sensation making its way down her chest.

She continued walking towards the football field, taking swigs from the flask every now and then. She was so carefree she didn't even care if a teacher saw.

"Em have some of this!" Noel smirked, handing her a red cup full of some alcoholic substance. She grabbed the cup, swallowing the contents in 3 large gulps. "Woah there Em slow down, let's get you another." He grabbed her hand before leading her into the middle of his posse of football jocks.

After several more cups of whatever Noel was giving her, Emily finally stumbled away in search of her friends. After several minutes of scanning the bleachers she finally found Hanna, Aria and Spencer huddled with their boyfriends as they waited for the cheerleaders to start performing. Just looking at her friends all loved up made her want to down another bottle of Vodka. She went to take another sip out of her flask and was mildly surprised when nothing but a drip fell out.

"I'll have that," she smiled, taking a full cup of 'juice' from a random girl. She headed towards the bleachers, slightly stumbling up the stairs.

"Em are you okay?" Spencer called from behind her, a basket of fries in her hand.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she smiled, taking another sip from her cup.

"Are you drunk?" Spencer hissed through gritted teeth.

"No." Spencer was having none of it. She grabbed Emily's arm and dragged her up to where they were sitting.

"Hey Em," Aria called.

"Don't _hey Em_ her, she's drunk."

"Em, what are you doing drinking?" it was now Hanna's turn to hiss at their friend.

"You know what, fuck you all. Why can't I just have one night care free?" She threw the water bottle Spencer have her on the floor, grabbing her red cup again and hurrying back down the bleachers and off the field.

She was making her way through the heavily crowded field when she literally walked straight into someone. Her cup went flying all over the person she collided with.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to." She slurred, swaying from the loss of balance. The person she collided with grabbed her arms to steady her. Emily looked up to meet dazzling blue eyes staring back at her in concern.

"Emily? Are you okay?"

Emily stood star stuck. The blonde that had been on her mind all week was now stood in front of her- stood so close their chests were literally touching.

"Yeah I'm fine." The sudden sight of the main cause of her problems caused her buzz to diminish pretty quickly. She grabbed her head to stop it from spinning, leaning into the blonde slightly as she did. They were in such close proximity that her head fell onto the blonde's shoulder.

"Come on," she said, guiding Emily into the school and down the deserted corridors to her classroom. She closed the door and sat the drunken brunette on one of the chairs.

"Drink this," she said, handing Emily a bottle of water before crouching down next to her. "How did you get in this state?"

The brunette simply shrugged, "I just wanted it to go away." Her eyes began to glisten with tears as the brunette placed a friendly hand on her thigh just above her knee.

"What do you want to go away? You can tell me Emily." The blonde's eyebrows were creased with pain for the suffering girl in front of her.

"The pain, the alcohol…it….it makes it go away…it makes me not care about it anymore." Emily now had tears freely cascading down her rosy cheeks (presumably from the alcohol).

"Care about what?" Alison began to stroke Emily's thigh with her thumb gently – her intentions were completely innocent and just a form of comfort.

"My ex-girlfriend died of a drug overdose just over a year ago. After that, I got a drinking problem because I blamed myself. When I drank, I didn't care anymore and I didn't blame myself. I felt free and happy." She paused momentarily to wipe the tears from her face.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's fine. When my parents found out they went crazy. My dad was sympathetic but he's in the army so it didn't really matter what he thought he's never around. And after 3 sober camps and 6 months of therapy I finally came out the other side and became sober."

Alison's heart was breaking as Emily told her the story. No wonder she was an odd mix of shy and confident – she was broken.

"Why did you drink tonight?"

"I don't know." Of course Emily wasn't just going to spurt out that the core reason was because she found out the blonde had a boyfriend and then she decided to take her rational jealousy out on everyone else and it made her feel like crap so she started to drink and then she happened to split up with her girlfriend.

"You can tell me?" The blonde shuffled forwards, taking Emily's hands in hers.

"I can't," she whispered, her voice sounding broke and defeated.

"Why not?"

"I just can't." Her voice was barely audible as she looked down at the blond crouched beside her. Her eyes flickered down to their joined hands before they looked back up to catch the blonde's gaze. Emily was so lost in her drunken state she didn't realize her eyes had moved from the blonde's eyes to her slightly parted lips as she began to lean in.

The blonde coughed awkwardly, "I think it's time you got home." She immediately got up, avoiding making any more eye contact with the brunette. Emily nodded sadly, following the blonde outside like a lost puppy dog.

At some point during the night, Elliot had dropped the car back off at the school so Alison could get home when she wanted to. Emily joined her in the car and it is fair to say there was an obvious awkward silence.

With Emily now sobered up slightly, it wasn't so much of a chore for Alison to get the directions to her home. "Take your clothes off and place them in the laundry straight away and brush your teeth to take away the smell of alcohol. Take 2 tablets and a bottle of water to bed okay?"

"Thank you." Emily opened the door and went to get out of the car when Alison grabbed her arm.

"Stay safe please, see you on Monday." She let out a small smile, she was genuinely growing to care for her broken student.

"See you then."

Alison let out a deep breath as she watched Emily close the door. She prays that Emily won't remember any of this tomorrow but then a part of her wants her to remember. Wants her to know there is a reason for them to grow closer.

* * *

 **A/N:** Please let me know what you think! The next chapter is going to be quite interesting!


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry if there is any typos!**

* * *

Emily woke up to a spinning head and the stale smell of alcohol encircling her body. She grimaced at the smell whilst trying to find some kind of stability in order to drag her body out of her bed. She squinted her eyes open, taking in the familiar surroundings of her bedroom. _How the hell did she get here?_ The last thing she can remember was skipping school and getting vodka before the bonfire.

"Shit," she mumbled, opening her eyes fully so she could search for her phone. She must have slept through the bonfire. "Spencer is going to fucking kill me," she groaned, gripping her forehead in order to control the throbbing pain as she hoisted herself up out of bed. She fumbled around on the floor searching for her Sharks varsity jacket in order to locate her cell phone. She grabbed the jacket, reaching her hand into the pocket to pull out her cell phone. As she pulled it out, an empty hip flask also fell out.

"Crap," she gasped in horror, the sudden realization of what actually happened last night dawning on her. She quickly grabbed her phone, her lock screen illuminating with 12 new messages, 3 new voice mails and a whole load of Instagram notifications. She went straight to the 2 voicemails from Hanna and the one from Spencer:

Hanna – 21.45pm: "Emily I swear to God you do anything stupid and you can kiss good bye to our friendship."

Spencer – 22.23pm: "Emily please will you and your drunken ass check in with us?! I promised your mom that I wouldn't let anything like this happen to you again."

Hanna – 23.56pm: "Hey Em, it's me again. I'm sorry for being harsh in the last voice mail it was really insensitive of me. I have no idea what you're going through Em but just know that I will always be here for you. Through anything. You're stronger than this Em, I know you are. Just….stay safe. I love you."

A small tear trickled down Emily's cheek at the sound of Hanna's despaired voice cracking towards the end of her message. She knew she had let everybody down – again – and this time she wasn't sure how she was going to fix it. Emily knew that last night's antics were a one off "slip" but for those who had experienced the last year with her will probably assume it is a relapse. They would assume she's dealing will anxiety and depression again – the complete opposite to the actual reason.

She chuckled darkly to herself. Who would ever guess that the reason all this shit started again was because she had a stupid crush on her new English teacher. Well, that definitely isn't the only reason but it has definitely being the catalyst.

She squinted her eyes at the bright morning sun shining through the kitchen window as she rounded the door. Her eyes focused on the two bodies sat at the breakfast bar; one was definitely her mom but the other was masculine – definitely a man.

Her mom coughed, clearing her throat whilst nodding towards her daughter. The other body slowly turned, a small smile of sympathy on their face.

"Dad?" Emily questioned, not sure whether her banging headache and killer hangover were causing her to have hallucinations.

"Hey Emmy." His voice was quiet, sad, disappointed...

"W-Wh-What are you doing here?"

"I did come to surprise you but it looks like you're the one full of surprises."

Emily gave a tight-lipped smile and there was an awkward silence around the kitchen.

"Emily, we are sending you back to Sunny Hill." Emily took in a deep breath at her mother's sudden outburst. Those were words she thought she would _never_ hear again.

"No. No. You can't do that!"

"Emily, it's happening again."

"No it's not! One night I decided to just let loose and have fun and you all assume the worst."

"Look at you sweetheart. It's okay we can get you the help you need again." Pam stood from her stool and made her way over to her daughter.

"No. You just want to have a perfect little daughter who is into make-up and frilly dresses and cheer leading and boys."

"Emmy, calm down. I don't care if you are interested in cheer leading or the cheerleaders," he smiled, "I just want you to be happy."

"Great because sending me back off to _Sunny Hill Sober Camp_ is really going to make me happy!" she spat, shaking her head and making her way into the living room. She went straight towards the alcohol cabinet and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. "Might as well make the most of it. Cheers." She held up the bottle towards her parents before taking a large gulp.

"Emily stop please!" Pam begged, trying to get the bottle out of her daughter's hands.

"I'm going to leave now so your extremely imperfect daughter is not causing you anymore embarrassment. I'm sorry I'm not who you wanted me to be."

 **| 2 hours later |**

She found herself sitting on a bench overlooking the lake in the local park. It wasn't a particularly nice day; there was a harsh breeze that cut through the trees and the sky was grey with the likelihood of rain. The bottle of whiskey was now half empty on the floor as Emily stared out over the lake. She watched the runners, dog walkers, families and kids walk by, completely unaware of the pain she feels. To them she is just another person, out enjoying the last remains of summer before the cool fall weather makes its permanent mark.

Deep in thought, she was completely unaware of the tears falling down her cheeks or the dog that was nuzzling at her leg. "Hey buddy," she smiled, reaching down to move the bottle of whiskey from off of the floor so the very excitable animal doesn't knock it over.

"Sorry, he loves it when other people gives him attention." A voice called from behind her. A voice that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to rise. "Emily?" The voice said in confusion.

"Hi Miss D," Emily said quietly. Alison sat down next to her student, noticing the bottle in her hand.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I think I'm going to get sick of talking about it." The blonde gave her a look which caused her to carry on. "I'm being sent back to sober camp." The blonde nodded, not really sure on how to take the conversation forward. Counselling her students was not yet something she had mastered or practiced.

"Is that something you want?"

"When is it ever about what I want? It's never about me."

"What do you mean?"

"It's always about how I'll look to other people. How it will make my family look or my friends. That's the hardest part. Not only pretending that I'm okay so no one really knows there's something wrong, but knowing that no one ever really cares."

"Emily I'm sure – "

" – Sometimes when someone asks if I'm okay and I say I'm fine, I just want them to turn around and say 'I know you Emily and I know you're not.'" The brunette had tears freely falling down her cheeks and Alison reached out to take her hands in her own.

"People not knowing you're not okay doesn't mean they don't care, it means you're being strong."

"I'm not strong, look at me." She let out a laugh.

"I have no idea what you have been through or what you are going through but I know you are being strong."

"I was strong, before, I had to be to get myself out of that stupid sober camp. On the outside people may think that but inside..." She turned to look at her teacher, who had tears of her own, "…everything is a war. Every thought, every memory, every decision. It's all a battle that I don't think I'm winning anymore. I don't think I was every winning." She broke the gaze and looked down at her hands.

"Emily, please. Don't think like that. Just because you're not winning now doesn't mean you can't. My mom was an alcoholic. Her ex-husband used to abuse her and he forced her to drink and do drugs. One day she over dosed and nearly died but after a liver transplant she found the strength to go to the police and look at her now. She is re-married, has a great job and she has me and my brother."

"I'm glad she's happy."

"You can be too, you just need to face your problems and deal with them. Do something about them. I can help you."

"I don't even know what the problem is anymore. I say it's Maya's death but it isn't. I know her death wasn't my fault because I found a suicide note when I came back from sober camp saying she only used me for the money and that she was sorry. That bitch can rot in hell for all I care."

Alison raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Then what is it?"

"I don't know. I guess I just feel like a huge disappointment to everyone."

"Who's everyone?"

"My parents. With my dad being away it's always just been me and mom. We used to be so close but ever since I came out everything has been different. You could see the disappointment, she practically disowned me. I didn't want to disappoint them anymore so I put everything into swimming to try and get on the Olympic team like they wanted. But after last year I've screwed that and basically screwed my life. I've just been a huge disappointment."

"Maybe you should talk to your parents about this. Nothing is going to change unless they know what is going on."

"I've tried to tell them but like I said no one cares about what I feel."

"I'm sure that isn't true. Why don't you talk to a shrink with your parents to discuss everything?"

"There's no point it won't work."

"You can only try."

"Thank you, for listening to me."

"I'm here if you ever need to talk. Not just as a teacher but as a friend. Even if you think no one else does, please know that I care Emily."

"I know, thank you."

"And maybe try getting how you feel down on paper to give to your parents, as your English teacher I know you are good with words."

"I will." Emily smiled a sincere smile for what felt the first time in days.

"I'll take this. It will get better I promise. Sometimes it's okay not to be strong." She picked up the bottle from on the floor before taking the brunette's hand in her own and pulled her up off the bench.

"Thank you, again."

"Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something Emily. Like swimming, I saw you get that captain place and you are nothing short of an Olympic swimmer. In fact, you're a mermaid."

"I don't think I'm quite a mermaid but being a mermaid sounds good."

"What was it Sebastian said? 'Life unda da sea, is betta dan any ting dey got up der'" Alison mimicked causing Emily to laugh.

"One of the many reasons it is my favorite film."

"Think of Ariel as a metaphor, she wanted a life which wasn't her own because she didn't think hers was perfect but being a mermaid was who she was. Don't be or try to be someone you not. Your life may not be perfect but there is always someone out there with worse. You have two living parents who do love you Emily."

"How did we end up talking about metaphors?" She laughed.

"I'm an English teacher, it's my forte." She smiled. "You can get through this, I believe in you."

"I know," Emily nodded as her teacher placed her dog back on his lead.

"Bye mermaid," she winked, leaving Emily stood by the bench watching her silhouette disappear into the trees.

* * *

 **A/N: Did you guys like it? I know it was quite dark but i thought it was really important to get to grips with what is going on in poor Em's head. The next chapter will have a little 1 month time jump and i will start to explore more into Ali's life and story but it's going to start moving towards their epic love affair ;) Please let me know what you thought about this chapter! It was a tough one to write and therefore you're opinion would mean the world :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry it has took so long to update and sorry for any mistakes!**

* * *

She put on her red plaid flannel over her white tank top, smoothing it down as she checked her outfit one final time in the mirror. It's been 5 weeks. 5 whole weeks since she has last been at school. From a week of sober camp to 3 weeks of family retreat and an extra week of 'self-finding happiness', she was now ready to throw herself back into her normal life. She wore a genuine smile, she felt genuine happiness and she was actually excited to be going back to school – especially since she would be seeing a certain _someone_.

 **| 5 weeks ago – Monday |**

Emily was packing her bag for a week of sober camp. After a long talk with her shrink on Saturday after the park incident and a whole day of family counselling on Sunday, she had agreed to one week of sober camp where she would once again be put through a huge detox and learn the consequences of alcoholism and the different ways to deal with stress etc. She wasn't thrilled at the idea but her talk with Miss DiLaurentis at the park opened her eyes to the fact that she needed to do something – even if she didn't want to.

Just before Emily was allowed the time off, she along with her shrink and parents had a meeting at the school to discuss work and when it will get done. They pulled up at the school 10 minutes before lessons started and the sight of the students making their way into school, laughing and so care free made her claustrophobic.

"Can we wait a few minutes?"

Pam turned to look at her daughter, the panic across her face causing the older woman to nod softly. When they finally did make it up to the principal's office, he was talking over all the work Emily was going to miss and all the making up classes she was going to have to do when she gets back in order to graduate at the end of the year.

"Emily?" The brunette was brought back to reality by several pairs of eyes looking at her. "Hmm?"

"The work, will you be willing to do the catch-up sessions when you return?"

"Sure." It was more of a mumble than a clear answer because it had got to the point where she didn't care she just wanted all this crap out the way.

"We will have to remove you from the captain position for the Sharks and obviously you will no longer be going to Paris. Sorry Mr and Mrs Fields but with the short notice I'm afraid you won't be able to have a refund. I've spoken to Miss Drake has asked if it would be okay if someone else went in Emily's place?"

"Yes of course. I'm sure it would really benefit someone."

"I don't do French anyway." Emily grumbled, even though she didn't do French she was really looking forward to that trip because Miss DiLaurentis was going.

"Emily, do you mind waiting outside whilst I speak to your parents alone?"

Emily removed herself from the office, deciding to take a walk down the empty corridors whilst she waited. Without realising, her legs were taking her in the direction of a certain classroom. She took note of the wall displays before her eyes drifted towards the classroom door. She knew that it was her class she was teaching so she was nothing short of surprised when she found the classroom to be completely empty. It was fair to say she was also slightly disappointed.

She continued to the end of the corridor where she saw someone struggling to open the door as their arms were full of books and folders. She quickly rushed over, opening the door.

"Do you need a hand?"

"Thank you," the voice said as Emily removed some of the books from their arms. Of course it was _her._ "Emily?"

"Yeah It's me," she said sheepishly. "I had to see the principal before you know …. I go."

"Follow me," Alison nudged her head towards her empty classroom. Emily followed her, dropping the books on her desk. "Thanks."

"Where is everyone?"

"In the library working on the presentations." The blonde came around and perched herself on the front of her desk as Emily stood in front of her awkwardly. "How you holding up?"

"Fine, I think." She gave a half smile as she lifted her head to meet her teacher's gaze. Alison gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Remember if you help yourself, things will get better. How did it go with your parents?"

"Okay," Emily let out a long sigh, "My shrink has organised us to do 3 weeks of family retreat in Montana next week providing I do okay at Sober Camp."

"It will. I believe in you Emily. I've known you a week and I've already seen so much strength in you." Alison offered her a warm smile, she really wanted to get through to her student that she cared – maybe too much.

"Thanks."

"Look…" The blonde gracefully hopped off of her desk and rummaged through her desk for a pen and paper before scribbling something down. "Here is my cell phone number. If ever it gets too much or you want to talk, I'll always be there."

"Thank you," Emily offered a small smile as she reached out to take the paper but the blonde took it back slightly.

"Promise me you won't go giving this out, I could do without Noel Khan's jock friends requesting I send them nudes," She giggled. The sound caused Emily's heart to flutter as she let out a small laugh herself. For a slight moment Emily actually felt herself, she felt confident again.

"Does that mean I can't ask either?" She didn't even process what she had said until the blonde raised her eyebrows in amusement.

"Don't make me regret giving you this," Alison smirked as she handed over the piece of paper. "But, it's great to see the real you again."

"Thanks, I erm, best go." Emily went to make a move for the door but Alison grabbed her arm and caused her to turn around. The blonde was stood inches away from her but before Emily could process what was happening Alison pulled her into a hug.

"I know you can do this. I'm proud of you." Alison whispering in her ear caused goose bumps to form all over her neck as she inhaled her perfume. She could stay like this forever. As they pulled away, Emily's gaze met the bright blue eyes that had been on her thoughts since the previous week. Her gaze absentmindedly dropped to the blonde's slightly parted lips before quickly moving back up to her eyes. The blonde definitely noticed as she let out a small cough before letting go, refusing to look in the brunette's direction.

"Bye." Emily said, turning to leave as quickly as she could. As she rounded the corner to the principal's office she let out a deep breath. _What the hell just happened?_

 **| Several Hours Later |**

After 3 hours of induction to Sunny Hill Sober Camp, Emily was finally able to collapse down on her bed. In her 'hut', there was 6 'campers' and unfortunately this time around Emily was on the bottom bunk. She had briefly seen 3 of the people she is sharing with but she hadn't had time to talk to them.

She reached into her pocked and retrieved the piece of paper Miss D gave her earlier in the day. _Was it too soon to text her? Should she text her at all? Was it too awkward after their altercation? What if she hated her now?_

"Wanna talk about it?"

Emily looked up to find a blonde girl sat on her bed. She looked a few years older but she couldn't be sure.

"There's nothing really to talk about."

"Oh come on, who is he? Boyfriend? Ex-boyfriend? Drug dealer? Please tell me it's not a member of your gang?"

Emily gave her a 'what the hell' look before the blonde started laughing. "I'm joking. But seriously who is he?"

"He is a she and she's my teacher." The blonde girl's eyes widened in surprise.

"No, god, we aren't together. God, no." Emily replied, obviously a little too quick as the other girl raised her eyebrow in amusement before smirking.

"But that doesn't mean you don't want to right?"

"I would never date a teacher. It's against the law."

"You can't help who you fall for erm…"

"Emily."

"Right, you can't help who you fall for Emily. Does she know you have this huge epic crush on her?"

"I mean I'm not sure. Earlier she gave me her number – "

"Isn't that a sign?"

"Please let me finish."

"Sorry." The blonde came over and made herself comfy at the foot of the brunette's bunk.

"She said if I ever needed to talk to someone to just message her. Then as I was leaving she grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug…" Emily looked over to see the blonde nodding along, clearly intrigued in the story. "… and when we pulled away she may or may not have caught me glancing at her lips because she gave an awkward cough and pulled away."

The blonde girl laughed, "Why didn't you just kiss her?"

"Oh yeah sure and risk her hating me and ignoring me for the rest of my life."

"If you want something you should go for it, claim your stake."

"I'm pretty sure she is engaged."

"So, you better hurry up before she ties the knot."

"She's engaged to a man."

"So? Emily stop being so pessimistic. Go. For. It. Text her. Go on." Emily sighed, pulling out her cell phone – she never took peer pressure well.

"Come here I'll do it."

"No. No. I've got this." Her thumbs did a funny dance as she contemplated what to write.

"Just say 'Hey Miss, did you know I wanted to kiss you today? On a scale of one to ten what are the odds you would have wanted me to?'"

"You really aren't helping."

Emily quickly typed a message, sending it before she had time to change her opinion and delete it.

"There it's sent. I said 'Hey Miss D, just letting you know I've arrived at sober camp and I'm all settled in, smiley face'"

"No kiss?"

"This is a professional relationship, although she didn't say no to me asking for nudes."

"What?!"

"It doesn't matter, forget I said anything." It was a question that had been playing on her mind. Why didn't she say no or acknowledge Emily asked?

"Anyway we best go, dinner is in 5 minutes and it's taco night."

"I didn't catch your name," Emily said as they made their way over to the dinner hut.

"Samara." The other girl turned her head and smiled.

They returned to their hut later that evening after 'camp fire story time' – it literally consisted of them sitting around the camp fire, roasting marshmallows whilst telling everyone their story and what they want to get from the camp. Emily jumped straight in the shower and when she was walking back into their hut from the shower block, she noticed Samara sprawled out on her bed with a cheeky grin on her face.

"What?" Emily mumbled, throwing her toiletry bag and towels on the floor beside her bed.

"Lover girl has messaged you back." She did a little eyebrow dance. Emily's heart literally began to race and it must have been obvious because the blonde picked up on it.

"Emily calm down before you give yourself a heart attack. God what are you going to be like when you're bed buddies." Emily hadn't even thought about doing that with her teacher but it wouldn't harm right?

As Samara went to the shower block, Emily took the time to lay on her bed and read the message.

A – Alison E – Emily

 **A:** _Hey Emily, it's great to hear you arrived safely! But please, we are outside of school, call me Alison. Miss D makes me sound old lol : )_

Alison. To Emily the blonde didn't look like an Alison. She imagined it to be Sarah or Isabelle.

E: Haha Miss DiLaurentis does not sound old. It sounds like you are from Italy or something. Mrs Smith or Mrs Jones sounds old ;)

Was the winky face too much?

A: Well I am not some tanned goddess, sorry to disappoint lol

E: Don't worry, they aren't my type anyway

A: What is your type?

E: I am a sucker for blonde hair and blue eyes

A: Any one in particular?

E: Maybe it's someone who helps me with English

A: Are you flirting with your teacher Emily?

E: I'm talking about Hanna…

A: Oh ok

Even though the blonde was in another state and they were talking through text, Emily couldn't help but think the blonde sounded a little disappointed - jealous even. She knew she was probably reading into it way too much. Samara was filling her with false hope.

E: Sorry to disappoint lol… ;)

Quoting what the blonde had said earlier was a good move right?

The brunette sat and waited for a reply from the blonde, except she didn't get one.

 **| Meanwhile – Switch to Alison's POV |**

She knew talking to a student outside of school was one thing, but flirting with them? She always was a flirt growing up as she definitely wasn't one for shying out of flirting with a teacher herself but now the roles are reversed it's completely different. She knows it is completely and utterly wrong but she cannot help herself. Every time her cell phone lights up on the coffee table she over enthusiastically breaks away from her fiancé's hold to grab it.

Having only been in this new town for just over 2 weeks, she still didn't have any friends so she was extremely lonely. She had Elliot and pepe but she needed someone to talk to who would actually reply and give her a thought out answer instead of a mumble or a bark.

She read Emily's last text over and over again because she really didn't know what to reply. She was in a constant battle with her head and her heart. Her head telling her to stop but from the light aching feeling in her heart she knew it was telling her to reply.

"Alison?"

"Hm?" She mumbled, lifting her head from her phone as she looked over at Elliot.

"I asked if you were ready to head to bed."

"Erm, yeah, sure." She lifted herself from the sofa, turning off all of the lights and TV before making her way into their bedroom. Elliot was out like a light, one arm around her waist and his mouth open as he let out a slight snore every now and then. Alison, on the other hand, was wide awake. She felt guilty for not replying to the brunette but she had no idea why. It wasn't like there was _feelings_ involved. The thought made her head explode with confusion – she could not figure out what was going on. The one thing she was certain on was that Emily was saving her from going insane in the fake, materialistic and whirlwind of a life she's been thrown into.

 **| 3 weeks later – Alison's POV |**

It was Monday again and today was the day that the senior year was going on their trip to Paris. It was currently 5.34pm and they were on the coach heading to the airport.

"Ali, are you going to talk at some point on this trip?"

Alison has had her head glued in her cell phone for the last 40 minutes of their journey.

"Yeah, sorry." She smiled, making no effort to lift her gaze from the device in her hands.

"Are you sexting your fiancé or what?"

"Everyone Miss D is sexting her boyfriend!" Noel shouted out, causing a sea of "Ooooooo"'s and wolf whistles to erupt around the coach.

"Thank you Mr Khan! But no I wasn't… sorry to disappoint you and your raging hormones," she laughed. If only they knew who she was really texting….

Over the past few weeks, the pair had been texting non-stop. It's fair to say they had built up quite the friendship however there was still a clear hint of flirty remarks added to the mix. It was very weird, and dangerous, especially for the blonde, but something in her just wouldn't let her stop. Mainly because she was enjoying it, it made her happy. _She_ made her happy.

A: Just at the airport now, boarding soon. Hope you have a good day x

Oh yeah and one last thing, they've started putting a kiss on the end of their texts. One friendly kiss on the end is okay though. Right?

E: Have fun! Not too much fun without me :( I think we are doing a self-finding course today…..fun. x

A: I won't. I'll be sure to send you lots of pictures. Keep at it Em, you're doing amazing. I can tell it's making you happy again x

E: You're making me happy again x

Alison found herself blushing as she maneuvered her way through the airport.

A: You make me happy too x

 **| 3 days later |**

It was their last full day in Paris and Alison found herself staring into space as she watched over her group who were lounging around in a small café. She was in such a daze she didn't hear her phone buzz.

"Ali?"

"Hm?"

"Who is Emily?"

"What?" The blonde shot up in her sheet to grab her phone from Cece's hand.

"And why has she texted you saying 'can't wait to see you on Monday' WITH A KISS."

"Keep your voice down."

Please tell me it's not who I think it is." The blonde only looked down, awkwardly stirring her tea.

"Fuck, Alison. I know you are new to the teacher seen but…. God… it's _illegal."_ The older blonde hissed, leaning in so she didn't draw the attention of the other students.

"Yes I know, but thanks for the reminder. Jeez nothing is, and nothing will, happen between us. She just needed to talk to someone."

"Alison, she seems pretty friendly here. _Too_ friendly." The blonde didn't say anything. Reality soon dawning on her as she realises how ridiculous this whole thing is. She was stupid to even think it was normal.

"You're right…"

"Look I know Emily. She is one of the funniest, cockiest, most popular flirts in the school. Everyone loves her. All the girls want her. Having a teacher giving her that kind of attention is all she needs to set her ego off again. I know you want her to be happy but she needs to find happiness from within herself. Not the attention from others. Especially not the new hot blonde teacher."

"I know." The blonde choked out. She hadn't looked at it like that.

"Stop it now Ali before someone catches on and you lose your job."

Alison nodded, knowing she was right.

 **| Sunday night – the night before Emily returns to school |**

Alison was currently laid in bed, her mind racing with thoughts on how tomorrow is going to play out. She was excited to see the brunette, nervous to see the brunette and terrified to see the brunette. Emily had texted her about 20 times since she came back from Paris but after not replying to any of them, she finally stopped. She thought the blonde had simply lost her phone or it ran out of battery.

The only solution Alison could think of to stop her feeling all of these… _things,_ was to go back to how it was 5 weeks ago. Pretend like it never happened.

Tomorrow is going to be interesting…

* * *

 **A/N:** Hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know what you thought! Things are going to start progressing now as i feel it's been a bit slow so far in terms of their relationship development. How do you like the Samara/Emily friendship? Do you want her to make an appearance at Rosewood High? let me know!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you so much for all the lovely reviews on the last chapter and thank you for 100 reviews!**

* * *

The air was lighter, the sun was brighter and Emily Fields was happier. In fact, she was walking on cloud nine. She is returning to her life as the real her. She smiled as she walked down the sidewalk towards the school as she realized that this weekend was Halloween, which meant Rosewood High were putting on their annual Halloween Horror Ball on Friday – there was no doubt that Spencer will be on the committee so she knew it was going to be epic.

Walking up the steps of Rosewood High, she felt everyone look at her. Not looking at her like she had just been shipped off to sober camp, but more looking because they are glad to have her back.

"EMILY!" A voice bellowed down the corridor.

"Hey Noel."

"How was swim academy?"

"Huh?" She asked, becoming increasingly confused.

"You know, where you have been for the past like 5 weeks." He gave her a dumbfounded smile.

"Oh right yeah…. It was erm…..hard….but….I'm out the other side stronger than ever." Although she had no idea what the hell was going on there was at least some truth in her answer.

"I bet it was full of hot chicks too huh?"

"I guess it was," She laughed, saying goodbye and heading towards her locker.

"Em!" Hanna squealed, shoving everyone out of the way and throwing herself at the brunette. Emily, finding herself becoming suddenly grateful for her amazing friends, wrapped her arms tightly around the blonde.

"Hey Em," Aria and Spencer said, coming over and joining in the hug. Emily tried to release herself from Hanna's grip to hug her other friends but she wasn't budging.

"Han, you can let go now." The blonde laughed before stepping back. "Guys, why is everyone asking how swim academy was?"

"Well, everyone was asking where you were and the principal decided it would be best if we kept it a secret. You know what people are like."

Emily was looking at her friends but her attention was drawn to the one person she couldn't wait to see. The blonde was currently giving a talk about safety to two boys who were skateboarding in the corridor. Emily didn't know if it was the time spent away or their new grown bond but she thought she looked incredible. Her white blouse tucked neatly into her pencil skirt and her blonde locks majestically falling off of her shoulder.

When the blonde began to move their way, she didn't even glance in their direction. Emily's heart dropped slightly but she soon brushed it off as the bell rang. She would see the blonde now anyway as they had English.

"So Em, are you going to the Halloween Ball?"

"Yes Han of course I am, wouldn't miss it, especially now we're seniors."

"Don't take this the wrong way Em, but are you sure you're ready?" Emily gave the blonde a confused look, waiting for her to continue. "Like, the alcohol and stuff… no doubt Noel will be sneaking it in."

"Han I'll be fine. I'm just going to stick to soft drinks for a while anyway."

"I'm proud of you y'know, I know I don't say it often but I really am."

"Thanks Han it means a lot but don't go soft on me like that, you'll make me cry in public," she laughed.

When they entered the classroom the blonde had her face to the board, writing down their task for today. Emily sat in her place, watching as everyone took out all of the work they have been doing; she definitely did not have a clue what any of it was. After all, she had been absent for the past 5 weeks.

"So today, we are going to have a quiz on the last few chapters of the book we have worked on. Whilst I hand them out you might want to quickly read over your notes," She smiled as she turned around to the class, avoiding eye contact with one certain individual.

Emily put her hand up, trying to gain the blonde's attention but she was succeeding in ignoring her.

"Miss DiLaurentis?" She called, but the blonde continued handing out the papers. She was now growing quite frustrated with the blonde's behaviour. She understands that they have to keep their friendship a secret but this is taking it to a whole new level. "Miss?"

"What Emily?!" The blonde snapped, finally turning to look at the brunette. Her stare was hard and cold. A few members of the class looked up and glanced between the pair, obviously not witnessing that attitude from the teacher before.

"Erm, I haven't been here…"

"Well try your best." She immediately sat down, leaving the brunette looking at her with hurt and confusion spread across her face.

 **| Alison POV |**

She knew she was in the wrong snapping at her but she was so frustrated and angry with herself for letting their 'friendship' happen. She may be a new teacher but she wasn't that naïve. She kept her head down, refusing to look up because she knew the brunette's face will only make her burst into tears.

She finally lifted her head up as the bell sounded.

"See you guys tomorrow," she smiled, grabbing the papers everyone was throwing at her. She could see through the corner of her eye that Emily was delaying packing her things as she obviously wanted to speak to her alone.

When the class disappeared, she slowly made her way over to the desk.

"Alison why-"

"It's Miss DiLaurentis to you." She didn't intent for it to fly off her tongue in such a sharp manner and she instantly regretted it when she saw the brunette's gorgeous brown eyes look down.

"Sorry, Miss DiLaurentis. Why have you been ignoring me? Have I done something wrong?"

Alison sighed, dropping her pen onto the desk.

"Look, Emily. This…" She gestured between the two of them. "Is wrong. I shouldn't have let it happen."

"Let what happen? Jeez it's not like we've slept together."

"But that's what you want right? Bang the hot new teacher to brag to Noel and your jock friends. I'm not gay Emily and I'm engaged" She knew it was incredibly wrong to turn it around on the brunette, providing the vulnerable state she has recently been in and the circumstances surrounding their relationship but she had to do something to fight those _stupid_ butterfly feelings in her stomach whenever the brunette is in her thoughts or around her.

"You think that's what this is about. You think I want you to be some kind of trophy that I can brag to my friends about?"

"Isn't it?"

"No! For the first time in my life I felt like someone actually cared about me and was actually interested in me and liked me for who I am and not just out of pity. You gave me the strength to find a life worth living for. I thought you were a reason to keep living for." The brunette had tears streaming down her slightly red cheeks. She rushed to wipe them away.

"Em-"

"Save it _. Miss Dilaurentis_." She said, heading for the door. "Oh and engaged? Is that why you never wear a ring or is that so you get more attention from your students?" Emily swung the door open and stormed out, slamming it closed in the process.

Alison let out a shaky breath as a tear fell down her cheek. She wiped it away, determined not to let this _girl_ get to her. She looked down at her hands, running her fingers over the place where her engagement ring should fit. She thought school would be a place where she could escape from her home life – _I guess I was wrong_ , she thought. She just hoped it would get easier…

 **| Emily POV |**

The next day, the pair managed to keep out of each other's way until they had to face each other when they had English.

Emily was still upset with the things the blonde said the previous day so she quietly sat staring down at her book. She felt Hanna nudge her so she lifted her head and gave her a questionable look. The blonde just nodded in the direction of the front of the class. Emily cautiously looked over to find the teacher looking at her. She smiled slightly before repeating what she said.

"I said you can just get on with other work if you want. It might be best if I go through it all with you another time as you've missed quite a lot."

The brunette just cautiously nodded, deciding to do some of the biology work she has been asked to catch up on however she couldn't help but listen in to the way the blonde was reading to the class. Her voice was so idyllic and soft. She looked up for the first time in around 15 minutes to find the blonde perched on the front of the desk. Alison looked up from the book, instantly catching her eye. She gave her a warm smile before carrying on. A familiar sensation flooded her stomach however she couldn't help but feel slightly frustrated at the blonde's extreme swing of mood towards her. Yesterday she was ignoring her and now she was smiling at her? It was such a small gesture that everyone around them was oblivious but to Emily, that smile held the key to endless possibilities to what the blonde was feeling – if there was feelings.

The end of the lesson soon came and before she could even get up, the blonde had called Emily to stay behind for a minute.

"I'm really sorry for the way I spoke to you yesterday, Emily. It was really wrong of me to do."

"It's fine. There's a lot on the line for you I get it." Emily was far beyond confused at the blonde's sudden change in tune but she knew better not to question it.

"Thank you for understanding."

There was a slight moment of awkward silence before the blonde spoke again.

"Tomorrow last period, meet me in the library and we can go over the few chapters of Great Expectations that you missed while you were gone."

"Okay," She nodded, turning to make a quick exit out the classroom.

Emily walked to the canteen, meeting her friends there as they made their way into the lunch queue for hot food.

"Jeez Em, wait until you taste the new stuffed crust pizza. It's heaven," Hanna said, trying to push past a group of girls who were deciding what to get.

"I can't wait," She laughed, casually looking around the canteen until her eyes stopped at the person behind her in the queue. Of course it was _her_ , again. She gave her a slight smile before turning back to the front of the queue, not daring to look back again.

"Hi Miss D!" Hanna smiled, noticing the blonde teacher deciding what to have for lunch. "Oh my God, Emily, Miss D was looking at wedding dresses in Paris and I said I liked one and she said she did too and oh my God she might be wearing a wedding dress that I picked," She squealed, jumping up and down on the spot. Emily smiled and turned to the older blonde behind her, she looked down and noticed the huge rock sitting on her wedding finger. She shot her a friendly smile even though her heart just practically fell out of her mouth – she wasn't sure she had an appetite for that stuffed crust pizza anymore. The blonde was obviously using it to rub it in her face, why else would she all of a sudden start wearing it?

 **| Flashback to the previous night – Alison POV |**

" _I'm home," The blonde called, stepping into their house. After the day she had, snapping at Emily and just generally feeling shitty, she stayed at school to get on with some marking._

" _Hi, Fiancée." Elliot said, walking towards her before giving her a peck on the lips. "I found this on your bedside table." He held up her engagement ring._

" _I know, I took it off last night to moisturize my hands and accidentally left it there."_

" _Alison don't lie to me. It's been there for at least 3 days." Crap he knew she was lying. Her mind raced as she tried to come up with another excuse._

" _Okay, look. I'm just scared to wear it. What if I lose it?" She smiled, hoping it would win him over but he just rolled his eyes._

" _Alison I didn't pay $25,000 for a ring for it to just sit on your bedside table. The least you can do to appreciate the gesture is wear it."_

" _I will I promise."_

" _Did you find a wedding dress in Paris? I need the details so we can get it custom fit for you. Are you planning on dieting or something, you know, lose weight for the big day?" Alison could not believe what she was hearing._

" _Are you calling me fat?!"_

" _No baby of course not, it's just some women like to. I don't want to get your dress fitted for it to look like a parachute. It needs to be perfect."_

" _This wedding is about you and I celebrating our love. I don't care what the hell any of us look like. We could be in our pajamas for all I care."_

" _Alison don't be ridiculous what will the guests think? And God help the pictures…"_

" _Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize this wedding was you showing off how perfect you and your family is and how much money you all have."_

" _At least my family care enough to contribute. What the hell is your family putting forward? A box of confetti."_

" _My family don't have much money and you know that. How can you use that against me?" Angry tears now fell down the blonde's cheek._

" _Come on don't cry," Elliot said, trying to grab her arm as she tried to walk away._

" _Get off me." The blonde ran upstairs, locking herself in the bathroom as she turned on the shower before silently crying. What has she done to deserve all of this?_

 **| End of flashback – back to Emily POV |**

"When was it you're getting married again?" Hanna questioned, squeezing her way in-between the couple.

"New Year's Day," The blonde smiled. It wasn't an "I'm so excited I'm going to be marrying the love of my life" smile, it was a "now shut the fuck up before you make things more awkward than they already are which is already the maximum awkward possible".

"I'm sorry Emily, you don't have enough money on your account," the lady behind the counter said as the brunette tried to pay for her lunch.

"Don't worry Linda, put it on mine." The blonde smiled at the brunette like it was nothing, just a small gesture for her student. However to Emily, it once again set both her head and heart racing.

"Thanks."

"You'll just have to find a way to repay me," She playfully winked before grabbing her tray and heading towards the teacher's tables. Emily just stared as she walked away, her eyes glued to her butt as she strutted across the canteen.

 **| Alison POV |**

This whole thing was wrong. The things she was doing was wrong. The way she way feeling was wrong. The way she was thinking was wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

She knew she had to do something to try and stop it but she's tried. She tried ignoring her, being horrible to her, acting like she's only another member of her class but nothing was working because she wasn't just another member of her class. She was the main subject of her thoughts. She couldn't put her finger on it; whether it was pity, lust, attraction – she wasn't sure. The only thing she really did know was that there was a definite feeling in her stomach when she thought about her.

Tonight Elliot was working late so she allowed herself to be engrossed in her marking and lesson preparations. To be honest, she would be doing this with or without the presence of her fiancé because the pair never really did anything on weeknights. They didn't really do anything any day. The only conversation they tend to have is a quick hello, goodbye, what's for dinner. Apart from that the only time they spend together is if they have sex. Which, to be honest, isn't that great either. It's not romantic or passionate. It's sloppy and there is always a stale smell of either whiskey or scotch as Elliot would have had a drink with work colleagues at the local bar.

After the clock hit 9 o'clock, she decided to head up to bed. She checked her social media and she was scrolling through when a thought popped into her head. _Did Emily have Instagram?_ She felt her heart rate pick up as she searched the same. Several options came up but even though the picture was small, she could make out Emily in her swimming costume any day. She clicked on emily_fields, silently praying it wasn't on private.

The page loaded and she was greeted by 345 posts. The first thing that shocked her was that Emily had over 5,000 followers. _Damn she must be popular._ Her latest post was of her and her friends with the caption '5 weeks was too long to be away from these weirdos' and she instantly thought back to the previous day when she accused her of wanting to sleep with her to tell her jock friends when it's pretty clear that these 4 were a pretty tight group of friends.

Scrolling through more, her eyes were draw to her smile; the way her dimples showed as she smiled with the left side dimple being more dominant than the right but to her they didn't matter because she thought they were perfect. She shouldn't think that but she did. _Shit_.

The next morning, Alison woke up to find the bed next to her empty. It wasn't unusual for Elliot to pass out drunk on the sofa in the living room but waking up in a huge double bed alone never gets any less lonely.

After showing, she found herself in her walk in wardrobe trying to piece together the perfect. After feeling like utter crap the past few days, she thought the best she could do was at least look good. Well, that was the excuse she kept telling herself and that it had nothing to do with wanting to look good for a certain someone. She paired a pair of extremely tight black trousers with a cream blouse and a pastel pink blazer. After giving herself one final look in the mirror she headed over to her bedside table picking up her rose gold watch when something caught her eye.

Her ring.

She picked it up, taking in every expensive detail of the beautifully cut diamond. She went to put in on her finger but something stopped her. Almost like a magnetic force telling her it was wrong, that she shouldn't be wearing it.

"Two months and a week. Then you'll be Mrs Rollins." She felt a pair of arms wrap around her. She didn't even feel safe she just felt suffocated.

"Can't wait," She smiled, standing up so she could avoid any more wedding talk.

"Do I not even get a kiss before you head off to work?"

The blonde turned around, quickly leaning down to peck his lips. There was still a lingering taste of whiskey that caused her eyes to crinkle with disgust as she pulled away.

"Oh I forgot to mention, my parents are coming over on Sunday. You can take my mother and sister for brunch whilst my dad and I play golf."

"Oh thanks for telling me. I guess I'll be cooking too."

"Alison these are your in laws. Just because you didn't grow up being respectful and appreciative doesn't mean everyone else didn't either."

"If I'm not good enough for you then why are you marrying me?" Alison once again found her eyes welling with unshed tears. She refused to cry over _this_ again.

"I didn't say that. It's just sometimes you can be so different."

"Is that why your parents despise me? Because I'm not some rich stuck up snob you have previously dated?"

"Alison," Elliot sighed, "We're not doing this again. They know I love you and they accept that. They wouldn't be paying for the wedding if they didn't."

"Do you have to always bring that up? Like I don't feel guilty enough." She grabbed her things and headed towards the door. "See you tonight."

She went to the garage, deciding to take the white range rover to work instead. It was an engagement present from Elliot and so therefore it still wasn't technically hers. Nothing is technically hers. She doesn't even feel technically hers. She just feels like she's owned by Elliot to look pretty at his side. She felt like she was trapped with no way out.

Arriving at school she parked her car and headed inside, smiling to herself as many of the students turned to stare at her as she walked by. It was literally like something from a movie. Once she found the safety of her classroom, she kicked her heels off and began her first period. Luckily it was a free so she could catch up on the marking she didn't do yesterday.

The day went by pretty quickly and before she knew it she was heading up to the library to have her one to one catch up with Emily. There was something about spending time with the brunette that put an actual, genuine smile on her face and it was actually something she was looking forwards too. So much so that she got that little excited feeling in her stomach as she made her way up the stairs.

Not surprisingly, the library was empty. However, despite the emptiness, there was something about libraries which made you want to make as little noise as possible. Therefore, Alison quietly walked through the library until she found the brunette. This was Alison's first time in the library and she took the time to take it in. There was at least 12 rows of shelves but then there was a computer section, a section with tables and also a section with bean bags.

She spotted Emily sat at one of the tables. She was facing her but she was so engrossed in the book she was reading that she didn't even look up. Alison placed the stuff from her arms onto the table. However, due to there being 2 lever arch folders and 2 copies of Great Expectations it made quite a bang and it caused Emily to jump on from her seat slightly in shock panic.

"Jesus fucking Christ!" The brunette dropped the book and clenched her chest as she sat back.

"I'm so sorry, I underestimated the heaviness of those folders," Alison giggled, replaying the scene from moments ago over in her head.

Emily smiled, she didn't do it intentionally but the blonde's laugh was so soft and innocent and _cute_ that she couldn't help it.

"Right..so…" The blonde said, sitting herself down next to Emily and opening her copy of the book. The brunette just looked at her, taking in her beautiful features as she scanned through the book to find the page. "We've been looking at the character of Pip. His thoughts, feelings and why he wanted Estella. I know you've read the book and you know it well form that pop quiz on Monday so what do you think?"

The professionalism in the blonde's voice caused Emily to cringe a little as it was making it extremely awkward, especially with their close proximity.

"Well, Pip knew he could never have her. She was so different. She was mature, beautiful…stunning in fact and he knew her family would never approve. But he loved her anyway. He wanted her anyway. Even though he knew he couldn't he did because you can't help who you are attracted to." Alison looked up to find Emily staring at her the whole time she was speaking. Speaking like it was coming from her heart, like the words were her own. Like she wasn't talking about the book…

"He knew it was wrong. He knew she knew it was wrong and wouldn't want it. But there was a small glimmer of hope and he held onto it and in the end –"

"-Pip got Estella in the end."

"Exactly. Deep down, everything Pip was feeling, Estella was feeling it too. She just wouldn't admit it."

Alison looked up towards the brunette. Her eyes were soft with understanding yet sad and hurt. It really shocked Alison that Emily was being so bold; she knew she was talking about them and not the characters.

"She gets married to Drummle yes, but it's clear that it's only for his money. I don't understand because money cannot buy you happiness. Only love can do that."

The blonde looked down awkwardly, almost choking on her own breath. Yes, this all maybe true to the character of Estella but holy hell it really does resemble her life too. She knows she doesn't love Elliot and yes, she did also hook up with him because she liked his wallet. She didn't expect to get sucked into this life, she didn't want to.

"I think Estella felt the same, she was just scared to admit it. So much would change if she admitted it and there was so much to lose." The blonde spoke quietly as she turned to look back at Emily.

"She doesn't need to be afraid because Pip will be there…"

"Life isn't that simple. She could lose everything."

"So could Pip because Estella is his everything…" Emily's voice turned to a whisper, emotion flowing through her words. The blonde drew a deep breath as she caught Emily glance down to her lips. Everything was moving in slow motion. She knew what was going to come, she knew she should stop it but she couldn't. Her head and heart were too busy fighting that her sub conscience took over. She glanced down at the brunette's lips before trailing her eyes over her cheekbones towards her eyes. She saw something flicker across the brunette's face, almost like she was waiting for confirmation before she leaned forwards and pressed her lips against her teacher's.

Alison froze; the feeling was so unfamiliar. Her lips were so soft and sweet tasting, unlike anyone she's kissed before. Emily obviously took this as a bad sign as she began to move away, only for Alison to lean further into her, clasping her bottom lip between her own. Their lips started moving together, falling into perfect sync almost immediately. Emily moved her hands to the blonde's hips as Alison's went straight to her beautiful brown locks. Emily's free hand trailed down, resting gently on Alison's thigh.

The sound of the door opening caused Alison to push on the brunette's chest to pull them apart. Realization soon hit her and she stumbled to gather up her folders.

"I best go…" She mumbled, before hurrying out of the library leaving a confused yet satisfied, out of breath Emily with her head still spinning.

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 **A/N:** Please please please continue reviewing and i promise to update sooner and on a more regular basis! I hoped you liked this little look into Alison's life. What did you think?


	7. Chapter 7

**a/n:** Thank you so much for the amazing response to the last chapter! I thought i uploaded this chapter like 2 weeks ago and i realize i completely forgot so i am so so sorry!

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It was now Friday, almost 2 days since _it_ happened. Once again, the pair were playing a game of who can ignore the other one for the longest. Emily passed the blonde in the corridor the previous day but she simply looked down and pretended she wasn't there. The euphoria feeling that Emily was feeling following the event in the library was starting to wear off as she found herself once again getting frustrated at the blonde's hit and miss behavior. She's pretty sure _she_ pulled her back in when she tried to lean away from the kiss!

Walking towards her friends at their lockers, Emily couldn't ignore that familiar turning feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew it was because she had English first period but she didn't know what it was. Fear, excitement, nervousness, anger, frustration, confusion – she wasn't sure. All she knew was it was making her slightly on the grumbly side of life.

"Morning!" Hanna practically squealed, throwing her arms around Emily. "Wow, what has happened to that giddy mood you've had the past few days?" She said as Emily murmured her annoyance at how loud Hanna was being.

The pair began walking towards English, every step filling Emily with more dread than before. They entered the classroom and to her luck Alison wasn't there. Hanna and Emily sat in their seats as Hanna continued talking about some Christmas musical she had put their names forward for.

"Good morning you lovely lot, how are we all?" Emily jumped slightly at the voice that floated past her from behind as Alison emerged from the cupboard at the back of the classroom. She strutted over to her desk, throwing down the books. Emily's gaze followed her as her mouth fell open. The blonde's white shirt was tight in all the right places, tucked perfectly into her black, fitted trousers which were also tight in all the right places. Together with her black Louboutin heels and her hair. Her hair was pinned up in a low pony tail with loose curled strands hanging down as they hugged her face.

As the blonde turned around, the pair awkwardly made eye contact before they both darted their eyes away. Alison looking at everyone but her and Emily looking down at her desk.

"So…" Hanna said, as she leaned over and nudged the brunette. "I'm guessing this giddy mood is about a girl. And considering it's all of a sudden dropped and you're grumpy, I'm guessing it didn't work out?"

"Nope."

"What did she do, fuck you and chuck you?"

"Hanna! Shut up!" The whisper was anything but a whisper and it caught the attention of a certain blonde at the front of the classroom.

"Is everything okay girls?"

Emily looked up, looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Yeah-"

"-No Emily is having girl trouble."

"Hanna," Emily practically shouted at her.

"What? It's the truth."

"Thanks a lot," she said, standing up and running out of the classroom. Alison watched her, her heart breaking slightly at how pained the brunette looked. How confused she looked – and it's all her fault.

"What did I say?" Hanna said, clearly confused.

"It's okay, maybe she isn't ready to talk about it." Alison smiled, hoping that Emily never does tell Hanna the cause of her problem. What if she does tell? She could lose her job and go to prison. She needs to speak to Emily ASAP.

As she guessed, Emily didn't turn up for the remainder of the lesson. It frustrated her to say the least because you can't just get up and run when things get hard. If there is something Alison has learned it is that Emily likes to run away from her problems; run to alcohol. Her stomach turned as she thought about where the brunette could be. What if she skipped school and went home to get drunk. Alison would never forgive herself if she did.

She was knocked out of her thoughts by a knock at the door. "Can I get my things?" The blonde looked towards the door to find Emily awkwardly stood there. She let out a relieved sigh as she gently nodded.

"I would never tell anyone, you know, about what happened… in the library."

"Good because it never should have happened." Emily flinched at her harsh tone, her eyes diverting to look at her shoes. "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to sound like that." The blonde let out a shaky breath as she gently rubbed her temples.

"I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to put you in this situation. It wasn't supposed to happen but it did and I can't ignore it." Emily moved around her desk and kneeled down beside the blonde, taking her hand in her own.

"Emily I am your teacher and you are my student. We can never be anything more than that. You do understand that, right?"

"Alison, we both know we are more than that." Their gaze was locked and Alison could feel the tears building in her eyes as she looked down at this girl. A girl she hadn't known that long, fighting for her, wanting her.

"Please don't make this any harder than it already is. I have so much to lose. My career, my friends, family…"

"I get it. I only want you to be happy." Emily offered her a genuine smile as she reached up to wipe away the tear that gently trickled down the blonde's pale complexion.

"Thank you for understanding. Maybe we should pretend it never happened and keep out of each other's way?"

"Okay… but I don't think I can forget it."

"Me neither." It was a small whisper that fell from the blonde's mouth but it was loud enough for Emily to hear and she smiled at the confession. It gave her a little bit of hope that maybe, just maybe, the blonde might have some kind of feelings for her?

"I best go then…" Emily stood up, grabbing her bag before heading towards the door. "By the way, you're a really good kisser."

The blonde rolled her eyes playfully before letting out a small giggle through her tears, her stomach doing somersaults at the confession.

Lunch time soon came around and as Alison was making her way towards the canteen, someone began walking beside her.

"Hey Al, you look tired. We've not really had a catch up since the Paris trip."

"Hey Ce, I know I've just been super busy. We definitely need to have a catch up."

"Yeah we do! Anyway I need to ask you a favor…"

"Okay, what do you need?"

"Please can you help out with the winter musical? I desperately need a teacher to be in charge of creating the back drops. You might need to stay behind a few nights after school, but I'll repay you in coffee and wine?"

"Yeah of course."

"Spencer Hastings is the student on the committee so I'll get her to drop you of a list of students you will be working with."

"Sounds good." Alison recognized Spencer as being one of Emily's friends and half of her hoped that she wasn't one of the students on the list but the other half prayed she was. This whole situation was such a head fuck but she kind of enjoyed it. She liked the excitement of it, liked how it set her heart racing, liked how her stomach turned, liked how she smiled without meaning to. However, she didn't like how wrong it was for her to be feeling like this. Didn't like how something she couldn't control was been forced to be surpassed and controlled by the fear of losing everything. That, and the fact that it was wrong in society's eyes. Emily was 17, she was over 16 so it's not like she was taking advantage of her. Yes, she was abusing her power and position as a teacher but if it's _real…_

Every time she allows herself to think about it, she comes back around to the same conclusion. She is 17 years old, barely an adult, and she is still in high school. Even to her it was wrong. Not to mention the fact that she has a fiancé who she CHEATED on with said student. Yes it was only a kiss but that is still adultery in her eyes.

 **| 2 days later – Sunday |**

"Alison they are here!" Elliott called from downstairs. Alison just put the finishing touches to her lipstick before looking at her outfit. She was wearing a simple white t shirt with black skinny jeans, the type with the slit on the knee that she would pair with her black denim jacket. She really didn't feel the need to dress up just to impress her snobby in laws.

"You could have made a little effort Alison." Elliott was stood in his golfing gear, smart and crisp like it had never been worn before.

"I don't understand why I would need to." She mumbled, just as Elliott opened the door to his parents and sister.

"Hi darling," The older woman said, kissing her son politely on the cheek. "Alison," She said, "How nice to see you." The older woman didn't even bother to hug the blonde or anything, she just strutted into their lounge. Elliott's mother was British. The stereotypical, Downton Abbey style, upper class British women with a posh accent. His father however, was American and so his parents decided to settle in the US after they married.

It didn't take them long to arrive at The Brew, the local coffee shop. Elliott's mother, Mary, had wanted afternoon tea and scones but a latte and a chocolate muffin would have to do because, as Alison delightfully pointed out to her future husband, this is not Downton Abbey. Mary, in Alison's eyes, was the real life version of Cruella De Ville.

"We'll go sit down whilst you order." Mary dragged her daughter, Charlotte, over to a table towards the back of the shop.

Alison sighed, wondering how the hell she was going to cope with this for the rest of her life. As the queue slowly got smaller, she heard the familiar voice of a certain brunette who he could not keep out of her thoughts.

"Hi, sorry for your wait, what can I get for you?" Alison looked up to see the brunette smiling sweetly at her. "Hey," The brunette said, softer this time as she realised who it was that was stood in front of her.

"Hey." Emily's smile turned into a concerned frown as she saw how fed up the blonde looked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just bringing the in laws out for 'afternoon tea'." Emily's heart dropped at the mention of in laws and glanced over to where Alison was looking. Emily took this time to take in what the blonde was wearing. She looked different in normal clothes and a lot smaller without her legendary heels on. Emily noted that she was still incredibly gorgeous.

"Is that not a good thing?"

"She's so stuck up. She wants afternoon tea and if it's not perfect I will never hear the end of it."

"Listen, you sit down and I shall see what I can do."

"You don't have to go out of your way."

"If it means putting that gorgeous smile back on your face then I will do anything." Alison felt her cheeks heat up as she looked down in embarrassment. She never usually shied out of compliments but this is different. _She_ is different. They haven't spoken or seen each other since their talk on Friday and seeing the brunette again made everything she was feeling come crashing back again.

"Thank you, Emily."

"No problem."

Alison went to sit back down, having to deal with the complaints of her in laws over how slow their service was being.

"Here you go." The 3 women were pulled out of their brief chatter by Emily bringing over a tray with a cake rack full of an assortment of cakes and a pot of tea.

"Thank you dear, this looks lovely. Are these cakes fresh?"

"Yes, I baked them myself this morning actually." Emily gave her a proud smile. Alison smiled at the new found hobby the brunette had.

"Too many people put trust in the youth these days. No wonder service is practically in-existent." Mary muttered her sentence as she poured her tea, the proud smile playing on Emily's face soon turned to disappointment.

"I prefer if people judge my baking skills after they have tried it."

"Yes, I'm sure I'll be filing a complaint," the older woman bitterly smiled, sipping her tea.

"Ignore my mother, I'm sure it tastes fine. But I will also be complaining if it doesn't." Emily looked over towards the young woman sat in the corner, she had remained quiet for the most part of the conversation so Emily didn't even notice she was there. Alison shot her a sympathetic smile before mouthing an 'I'm sorry' before Emily headed back off behind the counter.

"So Alison… tell me about the wedding plans."

"Well, there isn't really any plans yet." She sat stirring her tea, refusing to look up into the displeased eyes of her future mother in law.

"You are getting married in just over 2 months and you haven't got anything organised?" Mary placed down her tea as she reached over for a slice of Victoria sponge cake.

"I had my wedding planned out years in advance." Charlotte gave Alison a look which dared her to disagree.

"I just, with the move and everything, haven't found the time."

"Anyone would jump at the chance. Especially since you aren't paying a peep." Alison's jaw clenched as she felt the anger start to build up.

"And I am very grateful for that."

"Hmmm, so you say…."

"Look Mary, I really don't – "

"I don't know what my Elliott sees in you. Marrying you will definitely falter our image."

"Mom maybe that – "

"Charlotte hush, I know you're thinking this too. We all are. I'll be honest with you Alison, I don't want you marrying my son. I don't like you. But I am trying to get along with you but it's really difficult trying to get along with an immature, ungrateful bitch like yourself."

"How many times have I said thank you! How many times do I have to try and be someone I'm not to prove to you I am worthy. I'm sorry I don't come from the perfect family but I'm pretty sure your family isn't perfect either. I mean I can also be 100% certain that Charlotte's dad isn't Elliott's dad! Don't act like you're all perfect to put me down. I am proud of the family I come from!" Alison slammed her cup down on the table as the tears freely fell from her eyes. In her rage, she didn't even realize she was stood up and shouting at the two women sat on the opposite side of the table. As she turned to run to the restroom, she noticed everyone looking at her, including a shocked Emily stood behind the counter.

She ran into the restroom, only just making it over to the sinks before the tears really started to flow down her cheeks. She gripped the sides of the sink, trying to control her breathing. Her body shook with every intake of breath.

"Alison?" The blonde felt a soft hand on her shoulder. She slowly turned to the source of the voice; her blurred vision didn't offer much in terms of seeing who it was but she didn't need to see. She knew exactly who it was. She didn't even realise what she was doing as she threw herself at the brunette, gripping to the collar of her t shirt as she sobbed into her neck.

Emily's arms wrapped themselves around the blonde, holding her close in a plea of calming the blonde down.

"I….can't….do…this…any…more." Each word was forced out in between sobs, coming out slightly muffled as her head stayed firmly in the crook of the brunette's neck.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to." Emily's hand went to her hair, stroking it as she gently swayed them. The blonde gently lifted her head, looking up at the brunette. Alison's eyes were puffy and red with slightly black rings from where the mascara had ran slightly.

"I don't know what I want anymore." Emily really didn't know how else to comfort the blonde, didn't know what she could say to make it better. She simply made the small gesture of placing a kiss on her forehead. She felt the blonde sigh as she pulled away. But she only pulled away slightly, so when Alison tilted her head up, their lips subconsciously brushed together. Emily could feel Alison take a sharp breath before pressing her lips harder against the brunette's, capturing her bottom lip between her own as she desperately kissed Emily. It took Emily a few seconds to realize what was happening (again) and as much as she knew she should pull away, knew this wasn't what Alison wanted, she couldn't. It was as if they were drawn to each other, a force so strong it feels like the other is a drug – dangerous, risky yet highly addictive and hard to give up.

The hand that was in the blonde's hair moved around to cup her cheek as Alison released her grip from Emily's collar, moving them to her neck to pull her down further. The pair were so close Emily could feel Alison's damp cheeks and she could taste the salty taste of tears on her lips.

Emily pulled away, still firmly gripping her cheeks as she looked at the blonde. The pair were trying to catch their breath as Emily pressed her forehead against Alison's.

"I know this is wrong but I need you." The words came out almost inaudible and Emily had to study the blonde carefully to figure out if she spoke the words or she imagined them. She pulled away fully to see the blonde looking up at her. Emily half expected her to push her away and run away like in the Library but Alison simply moved closer, wanting to feel the safety and comfort of the brunette's arms.

Emily was about to reply when they heard someone try and open the door to the rest room. Emily gripped the blonde's waist, pulling her into a stall. Emily sat on the toilet seat, pulling the blonde into a straddling position on her knee.

"Alison?" The voice called out, it was Mary. Alison looked down at Emily, panic written across her face as Emily simply put her finger on the blonde's slightly bruised lips, her other hand once again firmly placed on her hip.

They could hear Mary get closer to their stall, "Alison are you in there?"

"No sorry, I think I'm the only one in here." Emily tried to keep her voice steady, an incredibly hard task considering her heavy breathing and the fact that Alison was sat on her lap, her breath tickling her face.

It was a tense moment as they could still hear Mary looking through the stalls. Alison placed her head on the brunette's shoulder as Emily's hands went to her waist, her hands slipping just under her shirt. The touch caused the blonde to jump slightly but she disguised it by shuffling further into Emily. Emily un-intentionally let out a small groan as Alison pressed her lower half slightly into the brunette's pelvis.

Emily wrapped her arms tighter around the blonde, resting her head in the blonde's neck also as they waited for Mary to leave. It was a very intimate position but it felt natural; it didn't feel like they were teacher and student.

When they eventually heard the restroom door closing, Alison let out a deep breath into Emily's neck, the sensation causing Emily to shiver.

"We should leave."

"But I'm comfy." The blonde chuckled slightly into Emily's shoulder, still making no effort to move away from her.

Some time passed before Emily decided to speak up again, she didn't want to bring the matter up but she knew she had to.

"What are we doing Alison?" Emily intended to sound strong, sound like she wouldn't crumble if the blonde rejected her again but it came out nothing short of a fearful whisper. The blonde pulled away to look at her, the look in her eyes showing tiredness and confusion – obviously alongside the huge amounts of lust.

"I just need some time. I have a lot going on, I need some time to myself." Emily could see the blonde becoming choked on her tears again, the pain causing tears in her own eyes.

"What about school? Please don't ignore me again, I don't think I'd be able to cope with that."

"I won't, I'm sorry Emily. This wasn't supposed to happen."

"I'm sorry too."

Without any kind of conscious action, their lips found one another, meeting in a desperate kiss. The kiss was sloppy and desperate but nothing short of perfect in the couple's eyes.

"I best go." Alison went to get off the brunette but Emily pulled her back down.

"Please let me go first, I can't bear to see you walk away from me again."

"Okay." Alison nodded, understanding where she was coming from. They shared one final kiss, not knowing whether it would be their last. Although in the back of their minds they knew it wouldn't be. They both left the stall, Alison walking straight over to the sinks again and attempted to rub the dark circles from under her eyes as Emily left.

10 minutes later when Alison felt she looked mildly presentable, she exited the restroom. She noticed the brew was a lot quieter now and luckily Mary and Charlotte had left. She grabbed her bag and coat before heading towards the exit, obviously not before shooting the brunette a smile as she went back to serving someone behind the counter.

Later that night when Emily finished her shift, she noticed she had a text from the blonde. Just seeing her name on the screen caused her heart to flutter excitedly. _What are you doing to me, Alison?_ She thought as she opened the text.

' **Thank you for today, I just need time to figure everything out. I'm going to take some time off school to hopefully get my head in the right place. I'll get in touch soon. – Alison x'**

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 **a/n:** Sorry for any typos! I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you think by reviewing it really makes my day! What do you think Alison is going to do? Will she call off the wedding or not?


	8. Chapter 8

It was now Thursday, 4 days after the events in The Brew and Emily still hadn't heard anything from the blonde and the blonde still hadn't returned to school. The week days seemed to roll into one as Emily kept herself busy. She had swim practice most nights after school and most lunch times were spent preparing the props for the winter musical.

"Miss Fields can I have a word?" Emily turned around to see Miss Drake popping her head out of her classroom door.

"Sure. I'll see you guys in Bio." She said goodbye to her friends and entered the classroom, awkwardly hovering by the door.

"So, I know you have a really important swim meet next Wednesday and you're practising most days but are you okay to take tomorrow off time table with the rest of the people helping out with the musical? It's now 4 weeks away and with you seniors going on the Vermont ski trip on Thursday, I need all hands on deck to make up for the time. I did ask Spencer to ask but it seems she must have forgot." The blonde teacher rolled her eyes playfully which caused Emily to chuckle.

"Yeah that should be fine as long as I can leave in the early afternoon to practice."

"Yeah that should be fine, Miss DiLaurentis is in charge as I have classes but she'll be fine with it." Emily nearly melted to the floor. She's returning to school tomorrow and she hasn't been in touch yet?! It both panicked and angered the brunette. She was so caught up in the whirlwind of emotion that she forgot to reply to the teacher in front of her. Emily cleared her throat quickly before giving a quick nod. Miss Drake gave her a suspicious look before smiling.

"I best go, see you soon Miss Drake." As she left the classroom Emily internally panicked. Did she make it obvious that something was going on? Was the teacher now suspicious? Little did Emily know, the teacher already was after her encounter with Alison in Paris.

The day went by a lot slower than expected, Emily was now in Chemistry and it was safe to say that her head was dropping ever so slowly as she tried to stay awake. These swim practices were really taking their toll on her. Her cell phone buzzed on the desk, the vibration causing a loud noise. Emily quickly tried to silence her phone before the teacher caught on it was her. Luckily for her, it seemed even the teacher was dropping off to sleep today.

She noticed it was a text messaged which caused the buzz. A text she has been waiting for all week.

' _I'm ready to talk. Meet me after school in the parking lot next to the park. – Alison'_

Emily sat up, reading the message over and over again. It was definitely more formal, she can't remember the last time Alison signed her name off at the end of a message. There was also no kisses, making it cold almost. The brunette swallowed nervously as that can't be a good sign, right?

It was soon the end of the school day and Emily almost raced out of the school in order to avoid her friends. It took her about 10 minutes to walk to the park and sure enough she found Alison's car in the parking lot.

A sudden sense of awkwardness filled the brunette. Does she just get in the car? How does she greet the blonde? Does she ask how she is? Does she straight up ask what is going on? She decided on just getting in the car and seeing where it goes from there.

"Hi," Emily slid into the passenger seat and instantly felt awkward as the blonde failed to make eye contact. The blonde was nervously tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. Emily wasn't stupid; she knew this prolonged silence was a bad sign. "You're still getting married to him aren't you?" The sadness and aggravation in her tone made it more of a statement than a question.

To her surprise, the blonde shook her head gently.

"No?" Emily turned towards the blonde, her mood picking up but it came crashing back down again when she noticed Alison was still failing to look at her. "That's surely great? I know we have to keep it a secret and no one can know but we can finally be together. We could maybe even look at getting an apartment together and I could see about getting more shifts at The Brew to help pay for – "

"Emily, just stop!" The loud tone of Alison's outburst caused the brunette's ramble to come to an abrupt end. "We can't be together, Emily."

"But – "

"There's no buts. This was a – "

"No. Don't say mistake."

The blonde paused briefly, reconsidering how she was going to reword her sentence. "This was a disaster waiting to happen. It _is_ a disaster waiting to happen."

"Don't deny you have feelings for me, Alison because we both know you are lying."

"Maybe so, but sometimes that isn't enough."

"Don't do this. Please." Emily reached over the middle console, trying to take the blonde's hand in her own.

"We can't do this." The blonde moved her hand, the rejection causing Emily to slump back slightly.

"Why? Why Alison?!" The brunette's vision quickly became distorted as tears threatened to open the floodgates.

"I'm moving back to California." And there it was – Emily's world coming crashing down. She sat back, struggling to breathe. The pair sat in silence, not quite knowing what to say to the other. "I'm sorry." The blonde herself looked broken, defeated even as she whispered the words.

"When do you leave?" She wanted to be strong, she really did, but the 17 year old was struggling to breathe properly never mind keep her shit together.

"Tuesday. That will be my last day at school and I leave for California on the night." The brunette nodded as she counted how many days that is. 5. She has 5 days left before she will never see this blonde beauty ever again. The woman who has saved her and helped her through so much in the little time they have known each other. The woman who makes her heart flutter and the woman she is falling in love with. The woman who is her everything who will soon become her nothing.

"I care for you Emily, I really do but we weren't meant to be. At least not right now. Maybe one day we can reach out to one another but right now you need to enjoy being young, you need to get to college and have an amazing time partying and hooking up with sorority girls your own age. I would only have held you back."

Emily simply didn't have words anymore. Her heart was breaking and she was struggling to breathe through her silenced sobs. She needed to leave and soon.

"I need to go. I'm sorry I was such a burden on you." She quickly scrambled for the door handle before scurrying out of the car. She didn't know where she was walking to; she didn't care. All she knew was that she had to get away from that parking lot.

Waking up the next morning, Emily wasn't surprised to find her face puffy and her eyes red as she cried herself to sleep. She was incredibly proud of herself as she didn't go anywhere near alcohol. Even though she considered it, wanted to take away the pain, she knew she was stronger than that and if Alison didn't care about her then she decided that she didn't care about her either. Or that is what she was telling herself to get over the blonde bombshell.

She knew today would be hard as she had to spend all morning with the blonde, working on the winter musical. Her tactic was just to get on and ignore her the best she could.

Arriving at school, she noted that her friends must already be in the theater as they were nowhere to be seen. She checked her watch and noticed that lessons had started 10 minutes ago. Usually she would be panicking now but she doesn't. She doesn't care anymore.

She walked into the theater through the stage door, not wanting to catch the attention of the blonde who was going through scripts with some of the actors.

"Where the hell have you been?" Spencer hissed as she continued to organize some of the costumes on a rail.

"Talking to coach about the meet next week." Usually Emily was a bad liar but she was pretty proud with how she came up with that one on the spot and by Spencer's slight huff she gathered she may have just made it believable.

3 hours in and Emily was sat in her own little world painting one of the backdrops.

"Where is the back drop for the docklands?!" Alison's voice bellowed around the theater.

"Emily is doing it," one of the other painters said.

"Emily what the hell are you playing at we are waiting?"

Emily clenched her jaw in anger. No way was she back to being a bitch with her. Emily slammed the paintbrush down, paint splatting onto the backdrop as she stood up, grabbed her back and headed for the exit.

"Where are you going Emily?!"

"I'm leaving. That's what people do nowadays isn't it, run away when things get hard?" Her words weren't malicious or cruel, they were simply stating a fact. When the brunette realized she wasn't getting an answer from the stunned teacher, she scoffed before leaving. She decided a few extra hours of practice wouldn't be a bad idea to hide away from the blonde.

Friday soon rolled into the weekend and the weekend rolled into Monday. Due to the meet being so important on Wednesday in terms of college scouts and state championship qualifiers, Emily was granted Monday and Tuesday off timetable. If she couldn't see the blonde, she wouldn't be reminded that she would never see her again. But she needed to, she needed to see the blonde one more time before she leaves.

Pulling herself out of the pool, she quickly headed to the locker room to get changed before heading home. It was now a little after 4.30pm and Emily knows that in no later than 6 hours the blonde will be the other end of the country. She couldn't let her leave on these terms. She needs to see her.

' _Can I see you before you leave? Please.'_

The blonde replied almost immediately.

' _Come over now, I leave in around 45 mins.'_

Emily quickly crossed over the road before heading to the other side of town. Walking up the driveway, she wondered if Elliott is still living in the house or if the blonde is still keeping it. There doesn't seem to be a for sale sign anyway so she guessed it wasn't on the market.

She knocked on the door and she could hear Alison shuffling around some boxes to get to the door. As the blonde opened the door, she was still in the process of kicking a box out of the way with her foot. She opened the door wide enough for Emily to fit through.

The brunette gulped as she noticed all of the boxes dotted around the atrium. She really was leaving.

"I'm sorry about last week. It was just a lot to take in." She wasn't sure why she was apologizing but Emily knew they would both be still stood in awkward silence if she didn't say something.

"It's fine. It's hard for me too."

"Please don't do this, Alison." For the first time that evening Emily locked her gaze with Alison's. She didn't care that she was once again crying over her.

"I have to Emily." There was so much conviction in the blonde's voice Emily wondered if she was trying to convince her or herself.

"No one has to take the easy way out. That's a choice not an obligation."

"You think I have a choice in this?!" The blonde let out a slight scoff as her voice raised.

"Yes. Yes you do have a choice. You could stay here, if you really wanted to."

"I can't Emily. I have no one here. I don't have Elliott anymore, I don't have family, I don't even have friends."

"You have me." The brunette was now well and truly on the highway to heartbreak.

"You're 17 Emily. You're 17 and a _student_. We would never have worked and that just shows your maturity level if you think it would."

"So what if I'm a student. Age means nothing. It could work if we both want it enough. I know your job is on the line and I know it is illegal but we could still make it work. If Romeo could still be with Juliet despite her father then we can be together despite the stupid law."

"Emily have you heard yourself?! I could go to jail. I need to get away for myself and for you. There's no reason for me to stay."

"I love you. Is that not reasoning enough?" Emily's words came out as a whisper as she backed against the door for stability. The blonde looked at her with wide eyes as she gulped nervously.

"You should go. The moving truck is going to be here any minute to load these boxes."

Emily shook her head, hoping it would take her back to a few weeks ago when her world wasn't crashing down around her as she slumped down the door onto the floor.

"Emily listen to me. This isn't love, it's lust. You're going to do amazing tomorrow in your swim meet and you're going to grab the attention of all the head coaches from the colleges. You're going to date someone your own age and someone who deserves your love."

Alison grabbed Emily and pulled her up off of the floor. Now desperate, Emily crashed her lips against the blonde, needing to feel her one last time. The blonde didn't protest, she simply melted into her lips. Their lips melted together perfectly, a clear protest to Alison's reasoning for leaving.

"Goodbye, Em." The blonde whispered as she pulled away. The nickname once would have caused her heart to burst but not now as it made her burst into tears.

"Bye, Ali." She wiped her tears, trying to get one final image of the blonde before she backed out of the door. After a few seconds of simply looking at the blonde, she finally turned around and made her way down the driveway.

Arriving home, Emily collapsed onto her bed as she let it sink in that she was never going to see the blonde again. How the hell was she supposed to even make it school tomorrow let alone compete in the most important swim meet of her life? Swimming was her life but the only thing she wanted to be swimming in right now was a bottle of vodka. Since the incident a few weeks ago, Pam had got rid of their alcohol cupboard and any alcohol for that matter and Emily has never been more annoyed at anything. How the hell was she supposed to cope now?!

Luckily, crying seemed to do the trick as her teary eyes turned into tired eyes as exhaustion took over the heartache. The next morning, Emily felt like she had a hangover despite the obvious lack of alcohol. The all-round shitty feeling made her go on auto pilot and she doesn't know how but all of a sudden she was standing in her locker room getting changed for the meet. Luckily for her, no one seemed to be talking about the sudden leave of everyone's favorite English teacher. It surprised her slightly as the leave was so sudden but she was eternally grateful not be reminded every five seconds that she was gone and never coming back.

She put on her Sharks tracksuit before heading out into the swimming pool area. The bleachers were absolutely packed with students from both Rosewood and the competing school. There was the Sharks' mascot handing out free candy and flags and there was college scouts sat in the front row being introduced by the principal. Emily scanned the crowds trying to find her friends but she had no luck as there was simply too many people. It was so crowded that people were sitting on the steps in between the blocks of seats.

Luckily for Emily, the girls swim team were competing first and the boys were after as that meant she could watch the boys and not have it ruined by being nervous. A few weeks ago when something went wrong, Emily would have gave up and turned to alcohol. She would have had the mind-set that one thing going wrong meant everything was wrong. But not now. Now she was more determined than ever to get the scholarship for Stanford – even if the reasoning was because she may have the chance to bump into the blonde one day.

Before she knew it, she was crouched over the edge of the pool waiting for the klaxon. As soon as it sounded, she launched herself into the pool, ripping her arms through the water. She ignored all the burning sensations in her body as the hope of the Stanford scholarship taking her to California kept her going. When her hand finally touched the poolside and she took her goggles off, she realized the swimmer in second place was at least 3 seconds behind her time. By the roar if the crowd she knew she had won.

She lifted herself out of the pool, instantly being wrapped in a towel and a hug from her coach and the rest of the team. She glanced over the coach's shoulder to search for her friends in the crowd. Looking for Hanna would be easier as there was a higher proportion of brunettes to blondes in the crowd. Her eyes were drawn to blonde hair a few rows from the top but confusion took over as the person standing next to her was Mr Fitz. Her eyes focused in on the blonde's face and she could recognize that smile from anywhere. Emily felt her breath catch in her throat as her legs turned to jelly. It's a good job they were all still in a group hug otherwise Emily would have been in a puddle on the floor.

Stood there in the bleachers, waving a 'go sharks' flag whilst sporting the biggest grin was none other than Alison. Emily had to look twice, making sure she was real and not just a product of her imagination. But soon enough, all the teachers were making their way down the steps towards them and Emily could start to make out Alison's gorgeous lips and dazzling blue eyes.

All the teachers gave the whole team a hug, congratulating them. Emily noticed Alison hold back until the rest of the teachers had finished with her.

"Congratulations," the blonde smiled, pulling her into a hug. "Meet me in my classroom in 5 minutes." With all the commotion going on around them, Emily nearly didn't catch the whisper but she did, loud and clear. And with that, Alison was off heading towards some other girls who she was congratulating. Emily stood there, completely shocked. What the hell was happening?

She quickly excused herself, making her way into the locker room and throwing on her tracksuit. She hadn't even got her shoes on properly as she found herself hopping out of the door. Walking down the very familiar corridor towards the English classroom, Emily saw Alison walking slightly ahead of her so she took the time to check out her amazing backside in those tight jeans.

Walking into the classroom, Emily found Alison perched on the corner of her desk showing off a genuinely happy smile.

"W-wh-how?" Emily was completely lost for words.

"I couldn't do it." The genuine raw emotion in the blonde's voice caught Emily off guard as this was the first time she was being completely open without any walls up. She got off the desk and walked towards Emily, taking her hand and interlocking them before looking up into her wonderful brown eyes. "I love you too, Emily."

Emily wasn't entirely sure what a heart attack felt like but in that moment she was pretty sure that was happening to her. The words were so soft, so genuine, she needed to hear them again.

"Say it again." Not wanting to break the soft tone, Emily's words came out as a whisper.

"I love you, Emily." Emily wrapped her arms around her waist, spinning her around in a circle as she smiled from ear to ear. The blonde squealed, wrapping her arms around Emily's neck. The brunette placed her down carefully, not breaking their gaze once as her right hand found its way to her perfectly contoured cheek.

"I love you too." Alison didn't even have time to respond as Emily gently placed her lips on Alison's, quickly capturing her bottom lip between her own. She tried to pull back but the blonde wasn't satisfied. She grabbed Emily's swim jacket and yanked her impossibly closer, crashing their lips together in a bruising kiss as the heat intensified almost instantly. Emily, sensing the blonde's need, guided her towards her desk and perched her on top as she made her way in between her legs.

Alison's went from Emily's neck all the way down to the bottom of her t shirt. Needing to feel the brunette, she guided her hands underneath the fabric, tickling up her ribs until she placed them on her stomach. Alison gasped into Emily's mouth. She knew she would be toned but holy hell those abs felt delicious. She gently scratched her nails down her stomach towards the waist band of her trousers. Unintentionally Emily let out a moan into her mouth as she pushed herself closer into the blonde. Alison was delighted by the reaction she got from the brunette and she was just about to smirk when Emily grabbed her hips to pull her closer to her. Her core pressed up against Emily's lower abdomen causing a groan to leave her own mouth.

Emily's hands also decided to do their own exploring as they began to undo the buttons on Alison's blouse. It was quite a challenge with her eyes closed but soon her hands came into contact with the blonde's white lace bra. She cupped them, tracing her thumbs over her nipples.

"Don't stop," Alison panted, desperately trying to catch her breath so she could go back to kissing Emily. Emily didn't need asking twice as her thumbs made their way under the fabric.

"Emily!" "Em!" "Where are you, Em?"

The pair could hear the sound of people calling as they walked down the corridor. The pair reluctantly pulled away, disappointment written across both their faces. This was definitely a turning point in their relationship, Emily noted, as once over the blonde would have her kicked out of the classroom and would be ignoring her by now.

"You best go, I think they're looking for their star swimmer." The blonde smiled, re-doing the buttons on her blouse. Emily smiled, leaning in to capture her lips softly.

"I won't see you until Tuesday." Disappointment was an understatement as the childish pout the brunette was wearing caused Alison to giggle.

"And why's that?"

"The stupid ski trip."

"Well, Miss Fields, which amazing teacher do you think is going on the stupid ski trip?" Her tone was teasing and she could see Emily's eyes light up like a Christmas tree.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow bright and early mermaid." The blonde winked, getting off the desk and making her way out of her classroom leaving a very sexually excited Emily stood there like a lemon.

* * *

 **A/N:** Did i have you all worried for a minute there?!;) This ski trip will be interesting as it will see the return of a character Emily met in sober camp hint hint. What do you think? please let me know! P.s sorry for any typos etc i rushed to get this up for you guys.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I literally made up this whole ski resort and what it looks like. PS sorry for any typos etc, i was in a rush to get this uploaded!

* * *

It was a little after 4.30am when Emily stirred to the sound of her mother's voice as the older woman gently shook her sleeping body.

"5 more minutes." The brunette's sentence was mumbled as she turned over onto her stomach and buried her face into her pillow.

"Emily, you have to be in the school parking lot at 5.45 ready to leave at 6 now get up and take a shower please."

The coach that was taking them would take around 7 hours to get to Vermont and therefore it was an extremely early morning for the teachers and students who were going on the ski trip.

Emily rubbed her eyes, trying to find the energy to get up. She had spent half the night laying and thinking about a certain blonde. She replayed their little classroom rendezvous over and over in her head until her brain finally gave in to sleep. Usually Emily was a morning person, getting up at 5.45 for her run but this morning wasn't one of those mornings.

After dragging herself out of bed and to the shower, she quickly threw on some grey sweat pants and her Sharks hoodie. She really wanted to make an effort to impress the blonde but she was simply too tired and too cold to do so.

It was just after 5.45am when Emily arrived at the school parking lot. There were students dotted around the coach with their suitcases, talking to friends or their parents. Emily spotted Alison straight away. She was stood at the entrance to the coach with a clipboard, laughing at something Mr Fitz was saying. A slightly feeling of jealousy appeared but the brunette brushed it off.

As Mrs Fields got her suitcase out of the trunk, Emily stood looking at the blonde. She was dressed in jeans and a grey hoodie with UCLA on it (obviously that was the college she attended) and yet the sight simply took Emily's breath away.

"Hey superstar swimmer!" Emily turned around just in time to catch Hanna as the smaller blonde launched herself at the brunette. The pair said goodbye to Mrs Fields before wheeling their suitcases over to the coach. Emily lifted her suitcase into the luggage holder with ease; Hanna on the other hand – not so much.

While Hanna and the driver struggled to lift her case on, Emily took her time to listen in to Alison and Mr Fitz's conversation. It was obvious that he was trying to flirt with her by his soppy and cringe worthy quotes relating to one of his favorite authors. A wave of jealousy washed over her as she heard the blonde reply with a soft laugh. A soft, girly, giggly laugh.

"Aw Miss D and Mr F, you two should date. So cute." Mona said, lifting her shoulders and letting out a smile. The two teachers just simply laughed and Emily found herself clenching the strap of her backpack tighter.

"Hurry up Han, jeez." Emily just wanted to get on the coach, away from situation before she turned around and told Mr Fitz that Alison was hers. Well, they hadn't actually spoke about what they were but they did declare their love for one another so they weren't exactly not together.

"Well sorry little miss cranky, not my fault the stupid driver couldn't lift my damn suitcase," Hanna exclaimed dramatically, letting out a sigh as she reached the two teachers.

"Too early girls?" Mr Fitz asked with a slight chuckle. Emily just continued to glare at him, refusing to look at Alison. "I take that a yes, Emily." Mr Fitz was definitely fueling her fire this morning.

"A girl needs her beauty sleep." Alison said, looking at Emily who finally looked at her. The soft expression on the blonde's face and her gorgeous blue eyes calmed her down slightly. She smiled slightly, taking the time to check out the blonde. She had no makeup on and her hair was pulled back in a simple pony tail. She was honestly perfection in Emily's eyes.

"I find that hard to believe." Emily's eyes darted over to Mr Fitz who winked at Alison as he said it. Emily's smile disappeared quicker than it appeared and she pushed past them to get on the coach.

"Woah this coach is amazinggggg," Hanna screeched, checking out the interior of the bus. The blonde's energetic mood at 5.55 in the morning earned her a few grumbles and mumbles from her fellow sleepy and slightly grumpy peers.

"So it should be for the price we had to pay," Emily mumbled from behind her.

"When we sit down, you're going to tell me exactly what it is that's got your panties in a twist."

The coach was laid out in a format where there was 4 seats to a table with TVs at the front and middle of the coach and a small toilet down the stairs of the emergency door half way down the coach. There was also 5 seats at the back of the coach which the teachers deemed out of bounds for the students.

Aria and Spencer where already seated on the coach one table from the back so Hanna and Emily quickly joined their friends and got comfortable for their journey. Hanna threw a blanket over her and Emily as Spencer got out a pack of cards.

"Chase the Ace anyone?"

"Are you kidding Spence, it's 6am I'm going back to sleep," Hanna said, dramatically throwing her head on Emily's shoulder and closing her eyes.

The coach trip was extremely long. 7 hours of trying to sleep, staring out of windows and failed attempts at playing chase the ace – mostly due to the fact Hanna kept shouting out that she had the ace. Alison was sat at the front of the coach with Ezra the whole time. Every so often, Emily would see her head fall back with laughter. By the time they got there it was fair to say she was extremely jealous, she didn't even care to deny it.

They all piled off of the coach, quickly heading over to get their suitcases and various bags. Emily got hers first, being strong she was easily able to lift it over all the other luggage. She glanced to her right and noticed a certain blonde was struggling. Despite her jealousy and irrational anger, she couldn't deny the blonde help as she couldn't lift her suitcase.

Emily went over, reaching for the suitcase and easily lifted it and placed it on the ground. The blonde gave her a grateful smile, their fingers slightly brushing as Emily passed her the suitcase. It's safe to say their eyes locked their gaze and their fingers stayed touching for way longer than necessary.

By the time the coach arrived at the ski village, it was nearing on 1pm and everyone was eager to get off of the coach and explore.

"Look! There's an ice rink! Oh and a pizza place! There's even an ice cream parlor!" Hanna screeched, jumping up and down in her seat as she looked out of the window.

"Hanna, okay we get it, tone it down." Emily grumbled as she started packing all of her snacks into her backpack.

"Urgh are you still in a mood?"

"I'm not in a mood I'm just...aggravated by certain people," the brunette glanced up to the front of the coach where she saw Mr Fitz climb over Alison to stand in the aisle.

"Okay can I have everyone's attention please!" He shouted, bringing the coach's animated chatter to a few mumbles and whispers. "Thank you, so as you can see we are about 5 minutes away from our hostel. I've been informed that there will another school there with us so please be respectful and behave yourselves. We have a small treasure hunt activity to do at 3pm but until then you are free to unpack and settle into your rooms. You all know who your roommates are and your room number so you simply just have to get your key from reception."

"And as a side note, we trust you all not to have brought anything with you which you shouldn't have," Alison said sternly, "Yes Mr Khan that means you too. I'll be doing an impromptu check if I think you're being suspicious."

"You can come to our room any time miss," Noel winked, causing the majority of the coach to laugh except one brunette near the back who's face was covered in jealousy, again. She tried to keep reminding herself of the moment she and Alison shared in the blonde's classroom but nothing was going to calm her jealousy except the blonde herself.

Everyone piled off of the coach, retrieving their luggage and heading towards the hostel. The whole group was on the second floor, with the other school on the floor below. The rooms were a series of bunk bed rooms all which shared a communal bathroom.

As Emily, Spencer, Aria and Hanna entered their room, it wasn't long before Hanna was pulling out a bottle of grey goose vodka.

"Hanna! Give me that now!" Spencer flew off of her bottom bunk over towards the blonde who was sat on the floor.

"Live a little Spence we are on vacation!"

"No we're not we're on a school trip, it's senior year I'm not having you getting me expelled!"

"And isn't it, you know, a little insensitive to Em," Aria said quietly, trying to no gain the attention of the brunette who was happily sat on her top bunk listening to music.

"I'm fine guys geez, I can even have some. Han's right we should live a little." Emily leaned over the bunk, throwing the blonde a suggestive smirk.

"Okay who are you and what have you done with our Emily?" Spencer questioned, climbing back onto her bunk in defeat.

"She's decided now she's better from all the shit, she's ready to start being an actual senior."

"Okay little miss jock, you are not bringing any girls back into this room! I don't want my bunk rocking when I'm trying to sleep." Hanna shot her a pointed look, causing Emily to laugh.

"Han I have standards, I'd at least do it in the bathroom," she winked, causing Hanna and the other two to laugh. "No but seriously I'm not looking for a hook up." Emily smiled as she thought of Alison, the jealousy she felt early quickly melting away.

"Oh my god!" Hanna squealed, throwing the grey goose back into her suitcase before climbing onto Emily's top bunk. "You have someone!" It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"I mean it's very new and I'm not ready to give details yet, but, I really like her and I honestly see it lasting."

"I'm so happy for you Em! Wait until Paige hears! Wait, it isn't Paige is it?!" Emily laughed at the ridiculousness of getting back together with her ex.

"Definitely not Han."

After doing a small treasure hunt task around the ski village and having their evening meal, everyone was free to do what they wanted until 9pm when they were having a movie night.

"Urgh if we are watching anything other than a romantic comedy I'm not going." Hanna said as she dramatically fell onto her bunk.

"Hello ladies!" All four girls turned around to find Noel Khan stood in their doorway. "Dorm party at mine after the movie? Bring alcohol."

"And why would we do that?" Spencer said, raising her eyebrow in question.

"Because we are seniors and on a field trip and miss D is the teacher on our corridor and she won't care she'll probably join us," he smirked.

"No she definitely won't because there will be nothing to go to." Miss DiLaurentis appeared at the door, giving the boy a stern look.

"Miss D, can we watch a romantic comedy?" Hanna whined from her bunk.

"Oh hell no! No way are me and the guys going to watch that shit!"

Alison didn't even flinch at Noel's use of language because as soon as she peered into the room her eyes locked on the brunette sitting on the top bunk. She smiled gently causing Emily to blush and look down when she caught Spencer looking at her.

"Well then me and the girls aren't coming to your lame dorm party!"

"Noel, go back to your dorm now before I really get irritated." Emily bit her lip, there was something quite hot when Alison went all 'figure of authority' on her students.

"Fine, see you at my dorm later." He winked.

"To answer your question Hanna, I'm choosing the film. We are watching bridesmaids." Alison smiled, causing Hanna to squeal. "See you girls later."

The hostel they were staying at had a common room so before the film everyone decided to go hang out there, minus a few like Noel Khan who were probably preparing their dorm for the party they were going to have.

Emily and Hanna were sat on one of the couches making use of the free wifi until it was ruined by Miss DiLaurentis being followed in by Mr Fitz who was practically glued to her side. Although sat at the other side of the room, Emily could clearly here Mr Fitz ask her to go for a drink one night. It angered Emily that the blonde said yes and even though they had 3 hours of spare time after dinner she made no effort to spend time with Emily.

The more she thought about it, the more the jealously raged inside of her. So much so she pulled out her phone and sent a text to the blonde.

 _ **'Hope you enjoy your drink'**_

Emily watched as the blonde looked at her phone, looking up in confusion at the brunette. Emily just rolled her eyes and looked away. It wasn't like Alison had done anything wrong, it's not like she said yes to a date but to Emily it felt like it was. When someone asks you to go for a drink of course it's with the intention of it being a date.

Emily waited throughout the whole film for a text from the blonde but one never came. Instead, she sat at the back of the cinema room, giggling along with Mr Fitz as they share a bottle of wine.

For the first time that day, Noel Khan's party didn't seem like such a bad idea. As soon as the movie ended, Emily quickly left the cinema, not daring to look back until she was in the safety of her room.

"Em what the hell?!" Hanna walked through the door, clearly out of breath from chasing the brunette back to their room.

"Sorry, I'm just excited to get ready for this party." Hanna threw her a cautious look before nodding. She pulled out her suitcase and began rummaging around, pulling out several tops and dresses.

"So, fashion advice please!" Hanna smiled, causing Emily to groan and throw her head into her pillow.

It was a little over 30 minutes later that Emily, Hanna, Spencer and Aria made their way over to Noel's room. At the end of the corridor they could already hear the bass of the music and the sound of muffled conversations - it sounded busy!

"Ladies!" Noel greeted them, handing them a red solo cup with an unknown alcoholic concoction in it.

"Noel don't you think it's a bit loud? Miss Di-"

"Spencer don't you worry, last I checked Miss D was getting cosy to Mr F if you know what I mean," He smirked, cutting Spencer's rant short. Emily felt herself getting angry, acting on impulse and drinking the contents of her drink in one, throwing the empty cup at Noel and making her way into the room. Aria and Spencer shared a worrying look before following Hanna through the door.

In the 10 seconds it took them to walk into the room Emily already had an empty shot glass and a new cup in her hand. She was stood with 2 girls from her swimming team, Jen and April.

"Em, maybe slow it down a little yeah?" April knew of Emily's alcohol issue because she was close friends with Aria as the pair did a photography course together after school.

"Pffft, tonight I'm being free." She grabbed the bottle of cheap vodka from the window sill and headed to sit on the bunk as her balance began to falter.

45 minutes later, Emily was sat on the bottom bunk with Noel and one of his friends.

"Never fucking get involved with older women," she slurred, causing Noel to suddenly be interested in the drunken slur blurting out of the brunette's mouth.

"Emily Fields have you been having an affair with a cougar?"

"I wouldn't go that far," she scoffed, "but they certainly know how to fuck you around and give you false hope time and time again..." she trailed off as she poured another shot of vodka, quickly knocking it back. She was at the point now where she didn't even flinch at the taste or burning sensation of the vodka anymore.

"Who is she?" Noel asked, having every intention of looking up the mystery women on Facebook. Emily couldn't help the smirk that formed on her face, if only he knew. "Oh my god I do know her!"

"Maybe, maybe not.." Emily smirked again, swigging the bottle before standing up and stumbling over towards a new group of people. The group were sat on the floor playing some sort of drinking game so she decided to sit it out. Instead she pulled out her phone, going straight to the messages section. Much to her dismay the alcohol only heightened her jealousy and anger instead of suppressing it.

Meanwhile Alison had just made it back to her room to settle down for the night. It was now past midnight and she was ready to sleep after the long day of travelling and activities. She checked her phone, intending to check the battery percentage before putting it on charge when the 8 text messages from Emily illuminated the screen.

 _ **E:** How's your night with Ezra going_

 _ **E** : is he a better kisser than me_

 _ **E** : course he is_

 _ **E** : you're probably kissing him now_

 _ **E** : it's not like we are together is it_

 _ **E** : wait until I tell Noel that part of the story_

 _ **E** : dumped for a lousy teacher with a shit hairstyle_

 _ **E** : who's also a male_

Alison rolled her eyes as she read the first few messages but that soon turned to panic when she read about Noel. Did Noel know about her and Emily? It didn't take much for Alison to recognize that the brunette was extremely drunk and when people are drunk secrets tend to come out. She quickly grabbed her jacket and headed for Noel's dorm where she knew the party was.

When she reached the corridor there were people stood around, it was clear that the students from the other school had decided to join in the fun because she did not recognize any of them. She knocked on the door, only to sigh in annoyance when no one answered. She decided to just walk in. When she opened the door she was greeted by a strong smell of alcohol mixed with sweat from the 30 or so bodies in the room who were all dancing and having a good time. Alison frantically scanned the crowd for either Emily or Noel. Her eyes fell on Noel who was busy with his tongue down some girl she didn't know's throat but there was no sign of the brunette. She looked over to the bunk bed on the far left where she saw Hanna and quickly made her way over.

"Hanna, have you seen Emily?" Her voice came out frantic and panicked, so much so Hanna gave her a confused look. "Someone just said she's being sick." She quickly covered her tracks, not wanting to sound suspicious.

"I have no idea, maybe the restroom then?" The blonde was clearly drunk, Alison noted, as she did not care for Emily's whereabouts. Emily clearly wasn't in the room so she settled for looking in the restroom. She opened the door to every stall with no look.

"Come on Emily." She said through gritted teeth, resorting on looking in the brunette's room. She opened the door, instantly met by the smell of vodka and sick. She cautiously turned the light on and let out a sigh at the sight in front of her. Emily was laid in Hanna's bottom bunk, sick covering her, the bedding and the floor.

"Emily," she called, the brunette was sleeping. Alison watched her for a minute until she all of a sudden hurled herself to the side of the bed and threw up all over the floor, and Hanna's shoes. Alison couldn't help the anger that washed over her, the root coming from the betrayal she felt from the brunette for getting in this state. Just as she was about to come up with a plan, Hanna, Aria and Spencer walked through the door.

"Ew Emily!"

"EMILY"

"That's my bed! And my SHOES!" Hanna screeched, walking over to assess the damage to her shoes.

"Miss I can't sleep in here the smell is too bad."

"Okay girls, I need you to go down to reception and tell them we need a cleaner and ask if there is a spare room for you girls to stay in for the night. I'll have to take Emily, I can't leave her with you."

"Okay miss." Spencer and Aria both nodded before heading down to reception.

"Hanna I'm going to take Emily, can you do me a favor and get her some clean clothes out whilst I get her out of here."

Alison grimaced as she pulled the dazed brunette out of her pool of sick in the bed. The sick was all down her top and on her jeans. Alison wanted to confront Emily about what she might have said, her mind racing with possibilities that they might caught, but there was no way she could have a conversation with her when the brunette could hardly walk or talk.

Luckily for Alison her room had an en suite bathroom so she sat Emily down in front of the toilet. She placed a bottle of water beside her.

"Stay here and don't move. I'll be 5 minutes." She ordered sternly, causing Emily to bow her head as she nodded. It was around 30 minutes later when Alison returned as she had to locate a cleaner and help the other girls move into a new room. When she entered the en suite she was relieved to see Emily looked a lot more sober. The bottle of water beside her was empty and her cheeks were flustered which meant she'd been sick.

"I'm sorry," Emily said quietly, quickly guessing the blonde was angry.

"Just get in the shower, here's some clean clothes." The brunette just nodded, getting off the floor with difficulty as Alison refused to help her.

20 minutes later Emily emerged from the en suite wearing some grey sweat pants and a plain t shirt to find Alison sitting on the bed reading a magazine. She stood in the doorway, head bowed, hands in pockets as she kicked some fluff around on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I know you're angry."

"I'm not angry Emily, I'm disappointed."

"I'm sorry."

"I can't do this Emily." She said, biting her lip. "I'm constantly living in fear that someone knows about us, wondering if you've told anybody."

"Woah, Alison, you're jumping the gun a bit there."

"Emily, you just got absolutely wasted to the point where you couldn't walk and sent me like 10 drunken messages, one of which said 'wait until Noel here's about this.' You're just a kid Emily."

"Alison it was one mistake, please. I love you. I'm not a stupid kid, I know what I'm doing and I know what I want. I know how much you're putting on the line for this, I know that! I feel guilt about it every day because you don't deserve that but I need to be with you."

Emily moved to sit on the bed in front of the blonde, taking her hand and internally crying with happiness when she didn't pull away.

"The reason I drank tonight was because I was jealous of you and Ezra."

"Jealous but-"

"I know it was stupid and irrational but all days he's been too close to you and he asked you for a drink and I jut got jealous because I can't do that and I know that, that's what you deserve."

"Emily I don't want anyone else I want you."

"But it's not even like I have anything to be jealous of I mean it's not like we are together. I mean I get it if you want it to just be a fling because you probably don't want to be with me-" Emily was cut off by Alison leaning forward and taking her lips in her own in a gentle kiss.

"I stopped myself moving to the other end of the country for you, and yesterday I told you I loved you. I wouldn't do that it if I didn't see a future with you. I wouldn't do that if I didn't want you or think you're worth it."

"So you'll be my girlfriend then?" Emily grinned, eagerly placing her hands on the blonde's waist.

'I'd love to," she smiled, placing her hands on Emily's cheeks to pull her forward. Emily pushed her backwards so she was lying down, hovering over the blonde as their lips met passionately. Alison moved her hands down, gently reaching the hem of the brunette's t shirt. Just as she was about to pull it off, Emily quickly jumped off her.

"I'm going to be sick," she grumbled, heading to the en suite. Alison sighed, dramatically throwing her head on her pillow.

What has she got herself into?

* * *

A/N: I'm so sorry it took so long to upload I'm such a sad excuse for a writer! Please continue reviewing to let me know what you think/ if you have any suggestions. Sitting and reading them gave me motivation to get this done! Also, if you have written any fanfics let me know I'll be sure to go give it some support! Also, for those of you who read I Need You, i may or may not be uploading a new chapter of that sometime this week! I know it's been a year nearly... :/.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning Alison woke up with a groan as the alarm sounded on the bedside table. 7am the time read and Alison was far from happy, especially since her sleep totalled to around 3 hours after spending most of the night holding Emily's hair back as she vomited the contents of her stomach into the toilet or trash, which ever she reached first.

After relishing in the few extra moments in bed before her alarm went off a second time, Alison sat up and glanced over at the brunette. She couldn't see much as it was still fairly dark outside but she could just to say make out her sleeping silhouette curled in a foetal position facing the side of the bed where a bucket is placed on the floor. Emily will definitely feel the effects of last night today.

The whole thing was a huge wake up call to the blonde, who, ever since Emily drifted off to sleep, had been thinking about how this whole thing could be a mistake. Last nights events definitely proved the brunette wasn't mature enough to deal with her jealousy and the thought of her nearly telling someone during her drunken escapades, only made the blonde question this 'relationship' further. She definitely loved the brunette, the wasn't the issue. Just looking at the brunette caused her stomach to do all kinds of metaphorical things you only read about in books. Back flips, flutters, her heart skipping beats; all these phrases used metaphorically in books became real with Emily. However, the only thing more real, or realistic, is their situation.

Alison was brought out of her deep thought by the brunette stirring on the bed. Alison couldn't help the small smile that appeared when the brunette rubbed her eyes, she just looked so cute.

"Morning," Emily smiled, looking over at Alison who was sat in the chair that accompanied the desk/dressing table.

"You should get back to your friends." Alison didn't mean to be blunt, didn't want to retreat back to the earlier stages off their relationship where she was hot and cold with the clueless brunette but it was hard, especially with her mind running away with her thoughts. Emily just nodded, standing up and walking over to the blonde. She placed her hands on the arms of the chair and leaned in to kiss her but Alison just turned her head so she ended up kissing her cheek.

"Ali what's wrong?" Emily sat down on the edge of the bed, close enough to the blonde to be able to place her hands on her thighs.

"Nothing." The blonde's sentence was mumbled as she looked down at her hands, obviously avoiding eye contact with the girl opposite her.

"If it's about last night I thought we already talked about it, we worked through it. We even decided to be official..." Emily's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she tried to get eye contact with Alison.

"I know that but... everything's just caught up to me."

"What do you mean?"

"You're not mature enough for this Emily. I thought you'd be able to handle the situation but you can't and last night proved that. Who knows what you could have said, who you could have told -"

"Alison it was one mistake and we've been over it."

"One mistake is all it takes for me to end up in a jail cell Emily."

"You know what? Fine. First you tell me you love me and we actually become official and now you're saying all this."

"I do love you, I do honestly."

"Actions speak louder than words Alison. God you're like a broken record with these excuses. You don't want me, fine I don't want to be some dirty little secret anyway." Emily lifted herself off of the bed and stormed to the door, heading out and not looking back. Alison, still sat in the chair, let out a shaky breath as a tear fell down her cheek.

Emily returned to their new dorm room, swinging the door open rather dramatically. So much so, Hanna, who was stood behind it straightening her hair in the mirror, got smacked right in the side of the head.

"Ow, ow, ow, FUCKING OW," the blonde was hopping around holding her ear. Emily didn't even look at the blonde, instead she just walked over to the spare bunk and threw herself onto the bed. "Emily fucking Fields where the hell have you been?! And do I not even get an apology for my decapitated ear?!"

Emily just groaned, throwing the pillow over her head.

"What the hell is going on?" Spencer grumbled, sitting up whilst taking her eye mask off.

"Spencer who the hell wears an eye mask, it's not the Stone Age!" Hanna's attention on Emily was soon lost and the pain in her ear was miraculously gone as she focused her attention on the other brunette.

"Well maybe I wouldn't have to wear one if someone didn't have to sleep with the light on."

"Hey, I was doing it in case Emily came back and wanted to find her bed. And maybe because this place is haunted and I saw a ghost."

"There's no such thing as ghosts Han," Aria giggled from her bunk above Spencer's.

"Yes there is otherwise there wouldn't be movies about them duh." Hanna said, waving her hair straighter around dramatically to prove her point.

"So zombie's are real too?"

"Erm yeah, I read somewhere that someone has actually seen frankincense in person," Hanna said as she went back to straightening her hair.

"Yeah I'm sure you're right, I mean frankincense is definitely a zombie." Spencer said.

"The three kings definitely sent Jesus a zombie as a present." Aria added, earning a chuckle from Spencer and Emily.

"Don't be stupid Aria, zombies didn't exist during those times." Hanna gave her an exasperated look through the mirror. The other three girls just snickered, not even bothering to reply to the blonde.

Breakfast started at 9 so the 4 girls made there way down to the food hall after getting up and getting ready. When they arrived, they found they were the only ones there beside their two teachers who were sat talking on the 'teacher's table'. Emily decided to head straight to the breakfast table. She was mumbling something about the lack of healthy choice to herself, unaware that she was saying it out loud until someone beside her replied.

"Maybe you should take a leaf out of Hanna's book then." Emily glanced to her right to find Alison stood getting a coffee. The brunette glanced over at Hanna who was literally caking her toast in peanut butter. Emily didn't laugh, or reply, she just simply grabbed her orange juice and fruit and walked away to their table.

The remainder of breakfast was uneventful, except the eye contact Emily kept making with the blonde. When one of them glanced over at the other, they were always looking back. The mixed messages Alison was sending didn't even make her confused anymore, it just made her pissed.

After breakfast, Emily's group (which happened to be Miss DiLaurentis' group) made their way outside onto the ski slopes for their first day. They all huddled at the side, watching several snowboarders do several jumps and tricks, whilst waiting for their instructor.

"Sorry I'm late," the instructor called. Emily turned around, that voice sounding all too familiar.

"Samara?!" the blonde instructor turned around, completely confused until she saw who was calling her name.

"Emily?! Oh my! What are you doing here?!" Samara instantly pulled her in for a hug.

"I'm on a school ski trip," Emily laughed. Samara peered over Emily's shoulder, catching sight of a blonde woman who was not happy with their interaction.

"Is that blonde beauty over there, your teacher crush?" She whispered, eyeing up Alison who's jaw was clenched.

"You could say that," Emily breathed, causing Samara to pull back and give her a 'continue' look but decided to speak when the brunette didn't.

"I think we need a catch up," she smirked, causing Emily to nod.

"Ooooo Emily has a date!" Noel cheered, causing the group to cheer and whistle.

"Okay, can we get on please, you're running late as it is." Alison interrupted, causing the group to quieten and Samara to clear her throat before nodding. However, not before throwing Emily a not so subtle wink which caused Noel to whistle one last time and Alison's cheeks to flush with irritation (and jealousy of course).

If Emily was being honest, she loved that Samara was 'flirting' with her. She knew the blonde was only doing it to wind Alison up. After all, at Sunny Hill Sober Camp, Samara was the one to encourage Emily to flirt with her. It also brought out Alison's jealous side which Emily had decided she loved. The way she kept glancing at Emily and staring daggers at Samara. After the way the blonde had treated her, it felt nice to get something back on her.

They all started off by learning the basics of how to slow down and stop on the small beginners slope. One by one, they took it in turns to go down the slope, making a pizza shape with their skis in order to slow down and stop. Samara went first, skiing backwards and holding onto them if they were going to fall.

Emily was anything but a beginner in skiing; her and her parents used to go on ski trips all the time but Emily saw this as a great opportunity to wind Alison up more.

As the brunette was going, she 'forgot' to slow down, increasing her speed until she went tumbling into Samara, knocking them both to the floor with the smug brunette landing on top of her.

"Trying to make lover girl jealous?" Samara smirked.

"Something like that," Emily smirked back, grabbing a hand full of snow and flicking it at the blonde below her before getting off of her.

"Two hot chicks about to make out in the snow, this is what dreams are made off." Noel chuckled, causing the group to laugh.

"Can you not be inappropriate with my students please? I won't be afraid to complain and get you fired," Alison snapped, crossing her arms.

"Totally worth it," Samara smirked again, causing a chorus of 'oooo's' from the rest of the group.

"Come on Miss D, even you must think they're hot." Noel said.

"That's inappropriate Noel."

"Why?"

"Because I am your teacher and you are minors under my supervision."

"Oh please, we're in senior year. We are technically adults."

"Enough Noel." Alison left no room for argument as she tried to get people skiing down the slope again.

After being on the slopes all day and after dinner, everyone was free to do what they wanted. Emily had agreed to go out with Samara and obviously her 3 friends thought she was the girl that Emily was seeing.

Hanna was currently in the restroom with Emily, doing her make up.

"I've already told you Han, this isn't a date."

"Even if you're not dating it's still a date Em." Emily sighed and just gave in. It wouldn't harm for the girls to think its Samara, after all that means they'll stop trying to work out who it is. Just as Hanna was applying the last of the lip gloss, the door to the restroom opened.

"Hey Miss D! Don't you think Em looks amazing for her date!" Alison gave the smaller blonde a tight lipped smile before heading into a stall.

"I'll leave you to it, I'm going to set up my curling wand," Hanna said, hurrying off back to the dorm leaving Emily and Alison alone.

When the blonde came out of the stall, Emily didn't even give her a glance. She kept her face forward and focused on applying her lip gloss.

"Em-"

"Save it Alison." Emily went to walk out but the blonde grabbed her arm.

"Please, let me explain." Her eyes were soft and pleading and Emily was ready to just give in. Her eyes fell to the blonde's lips and this didn't go unnoticed as the blonde bit her lip. The movement, however, caused Emily to snap out of her trance.

"There's nothing to explain."

"I'm sorry okay, please. Can we talk?"

"How many times are we going to have this conversation? How many times are you going to apologize? I can't do it anymore." Emily's cold stare almost made the blonde's heart break in two there and then.

"I'm just scared," the blonde whispered. Emily looked down at the blonde, making eye contact with her for the first time. Alison looked tired and defeated, her eyes heavy and glistening with un-shed tears. Right there in that moment, all the frustration and anger towards the blonde disappeared and all she wanted to do was hold the blonde in her arms, tickle her back and whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

Acting subconsciously, Emily reached out to take the blonde's hand in hers. "Tonight," she said, referring to when they could talk. The blonde nodded as the door swung open. The pair jumped apart, turning towards the door.

"Come on Em," Hanna said, ushering her out the door. Emily looked at the blond once more before following Hanna out.

Once Emily was ready, she gave herself the once over in the mirror. "When you've finished your little date, we will all be at a party at a chalet I'll send you the address to."

"How did you get invited?"

"I don't know, apparently a girl who Noel was chatting up in the common room knows the guy who's parents own it so he's throwing a party there. Free alcohol and boys, I'm in." Hanna shrugged.

"Okay, Samara and I will meet you there. Spencer make sure she doesn't get too drunk."

"Excuse you, I don't recall me being sick all over your shoes last night which, by the way, I haven't received an apology for and I'll be sending you the bill for."

Emily just rolled her eyes before saying her quick goodbyes and making her way out with Samara. They decided on a quiet spot to eat in a small cafe down a small backstreet. Emily got her up to date on everything that had happened with Alison, right up to there bathroom run in earlier on that night.

"Em, she has a right to be scared, i mean it is her whole life on the line."

"I know that," Emily sighed. "We've been through that. At least 4 times! It just hurts that she doesn't trust me."

"I wouldn't either after your stunt last night."

"You're not helping," Emily grumbled into her cheesy fries.

"Show her that she can trust you."

"How?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "She's obviously battling some serious inner demons so put her mind to rest. How about a fake girlfriend!"

"What?!" Emily spat, the mouthful of coke ending up back in her glass. She coughed slightly as some went up her nose in all the commotion.

"I'll be your fake girlfriend. That way, no one will ever be suspicious, just put my name under her contact or something and whenever you talk about her or whatever pretend it's me. We both have blonde hair, blue eyes, both smoking hot..." she trailed off.

"Okay okay, I get it. It might work I guess."

"As long as you both don't get caught in the act, fucking on her desk you'll be fine."

"Do you have to be so crude?" Emily grimaced, but secretly her stomach clenched at the though of defiling the blonde on her desk. The blonde sat on her desk with Emily between her legs, slowly unbuttoning her shirt...

"Jesus you're totally imagining it are you?" Samara chucked, earning herself a napkin to the face.

It was slowly reaching 11 o'clock by the time Emily and Samara decided to head to the chalet party. It must have been popular as they could hear the bass of the music from down the street. There were groups of people everywhere around the house, despite the cold weather. The chalet itself was huge, with 3 stories. However, within 5 minutes of being in the sweaty chalet, Samara offered that they go somewhere else, as she wasn't too comfortable being around so much alcohol. Emily agreed, the pair quickly making an exit unbeknownst to Hanna, Aria and Spencer who only saw them arrive.

Meanwhile, Alison and Ezra were walking around the village, making sure there wasn't any students out doing anything they shouldn't be. They were just casually strolling around, taking in their quiet surrounding when an ambulance sped by, the sirens breaking the silence.

"That doesn't sound good," Ezra said, watching the ambulance head up the winding alpine road.

"Should we check it out?" Alison always feared the worst when she saw an ambulance with the sirens on.

Due to them being on foot, Alison and Ezra were a good 10 minutes behind the ambulance so when they arrived at the scene the ambulance was already treating the patient in the back. They heard screaming and there was a huge crowd of people stood outside the chalet. As they approached, they realized that all the people were teenagers.

"Alison, it might be one of ours," Ezra said, quickly running towards the scene. As Alison got closer, the screams got clearer and so did the person doing the screaming.

"Emily! No! Emily!" The person screaming was Hanna. Alison took once glance at the ambulance and saw the dark hair and her whole world crumbled apart. There were two people standing to her right who she didn't recognize.

"Excuse me, what happened?"

"A girl apparently mixed alcohol with drugs or something, had a heart attack on the spot. I'm not sure if they got here breathing again.."

"Oh god," Alison gasped in horror, her shaking hand making its way to her mouth. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't go to the ambulance, she couldn't risk that. She needed to get out of there. She stumbled backwards, quickly turning around. Her vision quickly became blurred as tears violently fell down her cheeks. She saw two people walking towards her but she didn't even care if they saw her in this state. Emily was gone.

"Alison?" The voice called out. Alison shook her head, her mind was just playing games.

"Ali?" The voice called again as the bodies came closer. The one on the left held her arms out, catching the blonde. "Alison what happened?" Alison looked up to see Emily stood in front of her, looking down at her with concern. She didn't reply, she simply cried harder as she clung to the brunette.

"I'll leave you two alone," Samara said, to which Emily nodded whilst rubbing Alison's back in comfort.

"Ali what's happened?" She cooed, completely taken back by the blonde's hysterical state.

"I thought you were gone. I thought I lost you." The blonde choked out in between sobs.

"If this is about before I told you, we'd talk about it later." Before Alison could reply, Samara came running back towards them.

"Em I need you to come. Apparently some brunette girl had an overdose and had a heart attack and Hanna thinks it's you. She won't stop screaming."

"Oh god," she mumbled against Alison's hair, who was quietly calming down. "Stay with Alison, take her back to our hostel and I'll get Hanna." Emily tried to release the blonde but Alison wasn't budging, the grip on the brunette's jacket tightening.

"Ali, Samara is going to take you back to the hostel, I need to get Hanna okay?" She spoke as softly as she could, hoping to comfort the blonde enough to get her off. Alison simply shook her head and buried her face in the brunette's shoulder. Under any other circumstance she would have laughed at how cute and stubborn she was being but this wasn't the time. "Ali, I'll meet you back at the hostel okay, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."

Alison broke away from the brunette hesitantly. "You promise?"

"I promise," Emily whispered, wiping the dark circles of mascara from around the blonde's eyes before quickly leaning down to place a soft kiss on her lips. The pair too caught up in the moment to care about their surroundings or the fact Samara was still stood there smiling at them.

As Emily ran off towards the chalet, Samara placed her arm around Alison's shoulder and guided her back to the hostel.

"Emily really loves you, you know." She said, breaking the silence that engulfed the pair.

"How do-"

"I was the one to encourage her to text you at sober camp. Don't worry I won't tell anyone but I'm definitely rooting for you."

"I just wish it wasn't so complicated."

"If you both love each other, it will work. Accept that each other will make mistakes and just go with it. Does she make you happy?"

"The happiest."

"Then why the heck does it matter? Screw the law, it's a fucked up system anyways," she chuckled. "I know someone who dated their teacher, they're still together now, married with 3 kids and a dog. Just don't give up."

"Thanks," Alison smiled, as they approached the hostel. Alison said she was going to have a shower so she left Samara to sit in the reception area waiting for Emily to return. Around half an hour later, Emily returned with a sleeping Hanna in her arms followed by Aria and Spencer carrying her purse and heels. Emily put Hanna to bed and pretended she was going with Samara before heading down the corridor to Alison's room.

She knocked quietly, waiting for the blonde to answer. The blonde opened the door, practically dragging Emily into the room. The brunette just to say had the door closed when Alison crashed their lips together with so much force Emily stumbled back and slammed into the door. Her arms instantly went to the blonde's waist, wrapping around her completely and pulling her closer. Alison's hands, on the other hand, were frantic, going from Emily's cheeks, to her hair, to her chest. Emily loosened her hands from the blonde's waist, gripping her hips to pull her away to arms length.

"It's okay, I'm here and I told you I'm not going anywhere."

"I need you." The hunger Emily saw in Alison's eyes caused her breath to hitch.

"Ali, I don't want to do something you'll regret. It's too soon."

"Emily..." Alison said, removing the brunettes hands from her waist so she could press their bodies together. "I want you."

"I want you too but this is too soon." Alison pouted causing the brunette to laugh. "How about we just get into bed and cuddle?"

Alison nodded, leading the brunette to the bed. She pushed Emily down before climbing into bed and resting her head on the brunette's chest. Emily's hand trailed up and down the blonde's arm, drawing patterns on its way.

"I'm sorry about this morning." Alison whispered into the darkness.

"It's okay, I'm sorry too. I want this to work so much but I just want you to be happy."

"You make me happy."

"You make me happy too." Emily smiled as the blonde snuggled into her further.

Today was a crazy day.

* * *

A/N: Wow a lot happened there! next chapter will be a lot more fluffy, i promise! And for those wanting smut...soon ;) As always, please let me know what you think!


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